At The Beginning
by KittenEm
Summary: Natasha didn't know why she returned to Forks or took a nursing job at the hospital. What happens when she runs into the mysterious Dr. Cullen? Will sparks fly when they audition for the same musical in order to forget about the other? Carlisle/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone! Just a TWO IMPORTANT notes before the story starts. **This takes place pre-Twilight**, so Bella is not in Forks yet. She might make an appearance near the end. Also for the purposes of this story, **Esme does not exist**. Therefore, this makes Edward AND Carlisle the only ones in the Cullen family without a mate. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer.

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Sometimes I wondered what drove me to return home to Forks after college. It wasn't like there was anything to go back to anyway. My father had died of cancer when I was a sophomore in high school and my mother during my freshman year of college. All that was left in Forks was my elderly grandmother, who could not see more than two feet in front of her.

Like any normal high school student, I wanted to escape; to get out the monotony of living in a small town. I wanted to get away, away from my parents, my grandmother, the friends I had had since I was three years old. I wanted to see new things, have new experiences, and not have to be constantly worried that someone was looking over my shoulder. To finally find my place in the world.

High school was easily the very bane of my existence. I had a small group of friends, with whom I would spend countless hours with discussing our brilliant plans for the future. Allie was going to move to Los Angeles and become a movie star (I don't think that worked out so well for her). Kaitlyn was going to be an artist (last I checked that was working for her). Noah was going to be a music teacher (the least ambitious of us all and he was actually succeeding).

Noah was the only one out of the group that I still talk to on almost a regular basis. He was my best friend and my only true friend. I could tell him almost anything; everything from my poor self-image to my lack of love life throughout high school and then in college. Sometimes, I felt like it was easier to talk to a man about these sorts of things. They give you a new perspective that girls cannot always give. Noah was able to give me both views, however, since he was homosexual. This fact gave an ease to our friendship because we could be just that, friends.

So after high school, I choose to travel out east. Well sort of east since when you live on the western most portion of the United States, everything is east. I would soon find myself enrolled at Saint Mary's College in northern Indiana; a prestigious all-women's college in the middle of no where. Well, that is not entirely true; the University of Notre Dame was on the other side of the highway. However, when five of the eight months of the school year you are buried under a foot of snow, it's hard to go anywhere.

I became a nursing major, mostly because my grandmother always felt that was the only reasonable profession for a woman. Since, she was helping to pay for my tuition, I felt like I needed to choose a field that she would approve of. Then again, I had always wanted to be a doctor, like my father. However, I didn't have the time or the money to go to college and then medical school. So, I enrolled in the college's accelerated nursing program, where I would become a registered nurse by the time I graduated.

After spending four years in Indiana, I decided that I needed to get out of there as well. It was my hope to go to a bigger city like Seattle or Portland but things hardly ever worked out the way you want them to. By this time, my grandmother's health was not what it used to be. Maybe that is why I moved back to Forks, so I could take care of her. This would be the reason, I would find myself back in my childhood house with Grandma.

I arrived in Forks late afternoon on a Sunday. Noah, who now actually taught at Forks High School, picked me up and took me back to my house.

My Grandma was waiting for me on the front porch in her housecoat and slippers. Her silver curls were cut short and pinned back out of her face. She did, however, look exactly what people would think an eighty year old woman from the "old country" would look like. She had a stern tough exterior, but underneath was a soft heart. Throughout college, I had called her at least once a week. And even if the conversations only lasted at most five minutes, it would easily make her day.

"Natasha!" she exclaimed the minute I stepped out of Noah's car.

I beamed widely when I saw her, dashing to go greet her. She caught me in hug as she held me tight. Pulling away, we touched our noses together, like we always did when I was a kid. We were the same height at a whooping five feet and four inches.

My bright sapphire blue eyes met her pale blue ones and I knew that my return had meant a great deal to her.

She quickly ushered me into the house with Noah trailing behind us with my bags.

"Why don't you take those up to Natasha's room, Noah? I am sure you remember where it is?" Granma remarked turning her head back as she led me into the kitchen. Noah just nodded his head in response and as soon as we were in the house, he headed upstairs.

Entering the kitchen, I noticed it was the same as it always was. Pale green wallpaper adorned the walls and forest green curtains hung in the windows. It was open, warm, comfortable, and familiar. There was no mistaking the smell of warm honey and walnuts cookies baking in the oven.

I hated to admit it, but I did miss it here. I missed this old house, I missed Noah, and I missed Grandma. There was something comfortable about home. Maybe I would be able to find my way here, even though that is why I went away in the first place. Well, I might as well start at the beginning again to maybe find the way of things.

I sank down into one of the four worn kitchen chairs around the small round table. Grandma busied herself around the kitchen, placing a pot of water on the stove to heat for tea. At this point, Noah had returned down stairs and he too had taken a seat at the table.

He reached out a hand, taking mine in his and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"It is so nice to have you back, Tasha," he said with a wide grin.

"I am very happy to have you back, too," put in Grandma as she placed a tea cup in front of me and Noah.

"Yes," I agreed, "it seems like I was away for a lot longer than I really was."

There was a long pause as Grandma poured us both tea and placed a plate of the warm, sweet-smelling cookies in front of us.

I had just sunk my teeth into one and was enjoying the way it melted against my tongue, when Noah started speaking again.

"So, have you found a job yet?" he asked casually.

"I did at Forks Hospital."

I remembered that hospital so well. I had spent many days there as a kid, sitting in the waiting room after school, waiting for my father is get off of work. I always imagined him doing great deeds behind those heavy wooden doors. For the most part, I think that is what compelled me into nursing. I wanted to be like my father, to help people when they needed it the most. Later, I spent my summers off from college there doing various internships. I knew that hospital like I knew myself. It was the one place I could go back to and feel comfortable.

Grandma smiled wide, obviously pleased by the choice.

"I hear they have a new doctor there now too," she said as she took a sip from her tea cup.

This sparked my interest. There had been no new doctors come to Forks for years and I had had my fear that no one was going to come.

"Oh really? How long has he been here?" Maybe I had seen him at the hospital before and just hadn't taken any notice.

"Only about two or three months," Noah offered. "Young guy from what I hear."

"Do you know his name?" I asked, hoping to get a little more information out of these two.

"Oh gosh!" Grandma exclaimed, pinching the bridge of her nose trying to remember. She tended to forget things rather easily. "I know both his names started with C's and his first name is something very old-fashioned that I haven't heard in years."

I turned to Noah, raising an elegantly shaped eyebrow.

"I couldn't tell you what his first name is, but I know his last name is Cullen. I have two of his adopted children in one of my classes."

Then Grandma gasped loudly. "Ah yes! That is it. I remember his name now."

"What is it, Grandma?" I asked, hoping that she would just offer the information already.

"Carlisle. Carlisle Cullen," she said with a firm nod of her head.

TO BE CONTINUED....

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Please let me know what you thought! Any questions/comments/observations are always welcome and appreciated! Thank you! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Okay everyone here is a new part! It is rather long (longer than what I normally write), but I really like it. Also just for reference, I am not a nurse and never working in a hospital ... so I am kind of working blind on that point. So if anyone sees any mistakes in my depiction, just let me know. Thank you!

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer.

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Chapter Two

I was up around six the following morning. I had settled myself into my room, which had been mine for as long as I could remember. It too was the same as it had been since I was ten years old, when my parents had last painted the walls.

Now that I had grown up, my room was in need of a serious makeover. The walls were a shrimp pink, the carpet neutral beige, and all the furnishings were whitewashed wood. My bed was pushed up against the far wall, covered in a periwinkle comforter with matching bed skirt and coordinating pillows. At the foot of the bed was my desk, under the only window in the room. My laptop sat on top the desk along with a small blue lamp with beads hanging from the shade. On the opposite wall was a bookcase full of my nursing books from college as well as the classical fiction I had read growing up. Next to the bookcase was the door to my closet, which, at the moment, was a complete and utter disaster.

Sighing softly, I looked at my reflection in the mirror that hung on the inside of my closet door. I took in the features of my face, from my high cheekbones and small straight nose. Adding a final swipe of mascara over my lashes, I noted how my eyes seemed to turn up slightly at the corners. My eyes then trailed down to my full mouth as I tried my best smile. I grimaced slightly; I only hoped no one noticed how forced it looked to me.

It was still difficult for me to believe that I was standing there in the traditional deep purple scrubs that every nurse at the hospital wore. The top had a slight V-neck effect to it and tied in the back which seemed to accentuate my curves. The pants were slightly too baggy, but they were comfortable. I never thought this day was going to come, but here I was anyway.

I glanced down at my watch and noticed that I only had ten minutes before my ride arrived. Noah had agreed to drive me to work in the morning, since my house was on his way to school and the hospital was only a slight detour. My first order of business when I had saved up enough money was to buy a car, so I didn't have to rely on other people for a ride. My Grandma had sold both of my parents' car once they had passed away to help pay for my college tuition.

Grabbing my shoes from next to my bed and my bag, I headed down stairs. Grandma was already there, setting out tea and eggs for breakfast.

She smiled brightly at me when I entered.

"I thought I would get up early and make you some breakfast for your big first day," she said as she placed a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of me.

"Thank you so much, Grandma," I replied, digging into my breakfast.

I had almost forgotten how nice it was to have someone to take care of me. If it weren't for Grandma, I would have been having just two pieces of dry toast. I was very grateful to have her.

I only finished about half of my breakfast when I heard the distinct honking of Noah's car. I downed the rest of my tea and pulled on my chocolate brown ballerina style clogs. Kissing Grandma on the cheek, I took down my coat from the hook next to the door.

It was slightly drizzling as I pulled my coat on, flung my bag over my shoulder and jogged to the car.

"Hot," Noah remarked taking in my outfit as I slipped into the passenger's seat.

"Bite me." I rested my head against the headrest and closed my eyes as Noah pulled out of the driveway and onto the road.

We sat in amiable silence for several minutes, before I felt Noah take hold of my hand.

I turned my head to look at him; he was smiling slightly to himself as he gave my hand a slight squeeze.

Never taking his eyes off the road, he said softly, "There is no need to be nervous."

"Who said I was nervous?" My voice a little shakier than it should have been. I cursed myself silently for the fault.

"Please, Tasha. You look like you are going to open that door and throw yourself from the car." He laughed softly.

I hated it when he was right. I didn't really know why I was nervous. It wasn't like I had never been to the hospital before; I knew that place like I knew my own face. It was a part of me.

"It is probably just first day nerves. I mean, there really is no reason for me to be nervous."

Noah just shook his head and squeezed my hand once before pulling away.

"Do you need me to pick you up later?" he asked as he drove into the hospital parking lot.

I thought about it for a second. "If you don't mind, just for today. I am sure I can try to find a ride home with someone else for other days."

"It's no problem. When do you get off?"

"Eight this evening," I replied as I took my bag and stepped out of the car. "If it is not too much of an inconvenience."

"Not at all. See you then."

Waving a final good-bye to Noah, I turned towards the front doors. Taking a deep cleansing breath, I headed inside.

The hospital was the same as I remembered it and it was comfortable. I immediately headed to the administrative office to sign in.

Walking into the little office, I went over to the secretary's desk. I cleared my throat slightly to get her attention. She was a middle-age woman with frizzy red hair and glasses perched on the end of her nose.

"Can I help you?" she asked, peering over her rims to look at me.

"I am Natasha Daniels. I am the new ER nurse," I offered.

"Oh yes, Miss Daniels. We have been expecting you. If you could fill these out for me," she said handing me a pile of forms, "we can get your ID processed. Then I will have another one of the other nurses come and show you around."

I almost wanted to tell her I didn't need a tour, but instead I replied with a simple thank you.

Taking a seat, I started to wade through the pile of forms. I sort of felt like I was giving my life away as I signed my name over and over again and put in my social security number for the hundredth time.

It took a solid ten minutes to finish them all. I took them back to the secretary, who quickly added the necessary information into her computer. She then had me stand in front of small camera to take my picture for my ID.

This process took no more than five more minutes, before she was handing me my completed ID.

"This will be for identification purposes and it will clock you in and out in the machine in the break room," she quickly explained to me.

I heard the door of the office open behind me.

"Natasha?" I heard the person ask from behind me.

Turning around, I saw who it was and a giant grin broke out across my face.

"Oh my God! Cathy, I cannot believe it is you." I ran over to the other woman and gave her a big hug.

I had known Cathy since I was ten years old when she had first come to the hospital. When she arrived, she too had just graduated from nursing school. She was always very nice to me as a child and then as a teenager, she had become my mentor.

"I will take it from here, Jean," she said quickly to the secretary as she looped her arm through mine.

"It is so great to see you," I said as she led me out of the office and down to the ER.

Cathy and I talked pleasantly as we moved about the hospital. She was telling me about how her husband was doing and everything else I had missed since I had been away. I had missed Cathy; she so easy to talk to and always seemed to be perpetually happy.

She led me through the break room and then to the back where the lockers were. Every doctor and nurse got their own locker to put whatever they wanted in it.

"This one is yours," Cathy said, tapping one of the lockers at the end of a row.

I looked up and noticed it was number 23. It had been my father's locker. I blinked back tears as I rested a hand against the cold metal.

"I thought it would mean something to you to have this one," Cathy said as she placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you," was all I managed to get out.

"I will give you a couple of minutes to get your things together, and then I will show you around to get you reacquainted with the place. Just come out to the nurse's station when you are through." Cathy gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze and then was gone.

I looked back at the locker and with a heavy breath; I reached forward and opened it. I placed my bag on the bench in front of the locker. Shrugging out of my coat, I hung it up and then went to open my bag. I pulled out a couple of pictures and a roll of tape.

I quickly taped up a picture of Grandma, one of me and my mother at my high school graduation, one of me and my father on my thirteenth birthday, and one of Noah. Next, I pulled out my stethoscope, which had been a graduation present, and taking it out of its separate bag, I draped it around my neck. I clipped my ID to the breast pocket on my top. Finally I pulled a pen out of my bag and placed that in my pocket.

With another sigh, I put my bag in the locker and shut it. I kissed my fingers softly and pressed them to the cold metal once more.

I pulled the hair-tie out of my long auburn hair, which almost reached the small of my back. I shook it out for a moment before pulling it up again and twisted it into a neat bun and secured it with the tie. I shoved my pen through it as I walked back out onto the main floor.

I quickly found Cathy waiting for me at the nurse's station as she had promised. She gave me a quick tour, reminding me where things were kept and all the new stuff that I didn't know about yet.

The ER was pretty quiet that morning, only a few of the rooms were in use. That too Cathy filled me in on; what kind of patient was in each room. It seemed all routine and I quickly remembered all the things I had forgotten since I was last there. When we were done, we returned to our station, where Cathy introduced me to Jenny, who was only three years older than I was, and Helen, who was at least in her early fifties.

I sat down in one of the spare chairs and picked up the list of emergency 'codes'. I needed to remember them all in case anything were to happen.

After a couple of minutes, Cathy and Helen left to make their rounds and check on all the patients. This left me alone with Jenny, who immediately come over to me and sat on the chair opposite me.

"It is nice to finally meet you, Natasha," she said pleasantly with a warm smile. "I have heard so much about you."

"Have you really?" I asked, placing the list down on the counter.

"Oh yes! Once, Cathy heard that you were coming back, it was all she could talk about for days."

I shook my head slightly, that sounded just like Cathy.

"Well, I am sorry that she put you through that. I have known her for years and-"

Jenny quickly interrupted me with a wave of her hand. "No worries. I am happy to have someone here who is closer to my own age. It makes so much more fun to discuss hospital gossip." She practically beamed at me.

This was going to be fun, I decided. At least I would have someone to talk to. I never really seemed to have many girlfriends and this seemed like an opportunity.

She leaned in close as if she had something very important to tell me. I moved closer also, to appear like I was interested in what she was going to say.

"Have you seen Dr. Cullen, yet?" She half whispered to me.

I thought it was interesting that she said 'seen' and not met.

"I haven't," I replied back. "Is there something interesting about him?

Jenny sighed almost dreamily. "He is the hottest piece of man-candy, I have seen in the longest time. Though he hardly seems to notice any of us here," she said with a slight toss of her hair.

I opened my mouth to question her further when I heard the wail of an ambulance pulling up by the front door. In a matter of seconds, the doors flew open as the paramedics were wheeling in a patient on a stretcher.

"Code Blue!" One of them called to us as they entered the ER.

Code blue, I definitely remembered what that meant: cardiac arrest.

I was immediately on high alert and the adrenaline was pumping in my veins. I rushed forward, directing the paramedics to take the patient into room six as I asked them all the necessary questions. I needed to know all there was to know about the patient before the doctor arrived.

I was in the middle of hooking the patient up to a better heart monitor, which was instantly flat-lining, when the doctor entered. Or at least who I thought was the doctor because all I saw was the flash of his white coat out of the corner of my eye.

He quickly started to ask rapid-fire questions, which I answered instantly and accurately.

"Age?"

"Seventy-five."

"When did he go into arrest?"

"Five minutes ago into the ambulance."

"What was the reason for the ambulance?"

"Heart attack."

"Did they do CPR?"

"Yes, but it didn't help."

"We are going to have to shock him."

I quickly pulled the defibrillator from the corner of the room so that it was next to the bed. Handing the two handheld paddles to the doctor, I went to turning and setting the machine up.

He took no time at all in giving me the voltage, which I entered into the machine.

I kept my eyes glued to the heart monitor when I heard him say, "Clear." The line jumped slightly but then was flat again. He gave me a slightly higher voltage, which I changed.

I watched the screen again when he replaced the paddles on the man's chest.

"Clear."

This time when the line jumped, it continued to move up and down slightly. The man was alive.

The doctor and I both let out heavy sighs of relief. He handed the paddles back to me, which I took; my eyes still fixated on the screen. I wanted to make sure that it didn't go flat again. It remained constant.

"You did very good work," the doctor said as I pushed the defibrillator back to the corner.

"Thank you," I replied.

"You are the new girl, aren't you?" he asked softly. I noted the musical nature of his voice and the slight British tinge behind his language.

I finally turned around and looked at him for the first time. My breath caught in my throat, and I hoped that he didn't hear my slight gasp. But obviously he did, when I noticed the way his lip turned up at the corners.

His skin was very pale, almost white, but not in a sickly way. It would be best described as ivory. He had a straight nose and very angular features with high cheekbones and a square jaw. A piece of his honey blonde hair had fallen forward to rest on his forehead, but the rest was neatly slicked back. Then I noticed the unusual color of his eyes. They were a warm golden brown, almost butterscotch in color.

I adverted my eyes as soon as I regained control of myself.

Clearing my throat, I said, "Yes, I am the new nurse." I took a few more steps until I was standing almost in front of him. "My name is Natasha." I held out my hand.

He smiled, flashing a bright set of perfectly straight white teeth.

"I'm Carlisle Cullen." He took hold of my hand in his.

I was instantly struck by his ice cold grip. But I quickly, chalked it up to the fact that he was a doctor and wasn't it a rule that doctor's had to have cold hands? I know my father always had cold hands. However, they were never as cold as this man's hand.

He pulled his hand away rather quickly after giving a quick shake. I looked up at his face again, he was no longer smiling. He just gazed down at me with the blankest look on his face. I then noticed the strange way his eyes seemed to darken almost instantly.

"We better get this man up to the ICU," he quickly said before he stalked out of the room.

Had I done something wrong?

TO BE CONTINUED....

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**So... what did you think??**


	3. Chapter 3

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Thank you to everyone who has left me reviews! It is very appriciated and it helps me find the motivation to write more. Here is the next part. I am trying something new. I am introducing Carlisle's POV in this chapter, also writing it in 1st person. Let me know how well this works! Thank you!

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer.

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**Chapter Three**

The rest of the day went by relatively quickly. There was a steady stream of patients in and out, which kept us all busy. It was nice to be in the swing of events that seemed all too familiar to me.

However, one of the most unfamiliar things was Dr. Cullen. I just could not figure that man out. He seemed to be nice and welcoming when he first talked to me. But then in almost an instant that attitude had changed.

Even Jenny noticed his sudden change in temperament and immediately commented on it.

"Did you accidentally poke him with a needle in there or something?" she asked me when I returned to the nurse's station.

"I did not!" I defended myself.

Jenny's brow furrowed together. "That's strange. I have never seen him like that."

"So this is not usual behavior?" I asked, curiously.

"Oh no! Far from it, actually. He is usually all smiles and friendly, but now he looks like he is ready to bite someone," Jenny offered with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

I just shook my head and turned to the pile of charts I needed to sort through. My main goal was to keep my thoughts from trailing to the ever growing mystery of Dr. Cullen. Something definitely had changed in the few seconds we had spent conversing in the patient's room.

I also could see why Jenny seemed so infatuated with him. He wasn't half bad to look at, I noted. Scratch that, he was very good to look at. But I was not going to allow some good looking doctor distract me from actually doing by job. Besides, he seemed rather hostile.

For the rest of the day, I could almost feel his eyes burning into my back. However, whenever I would turn around in hopes of catching him staring, he was not even looking in my general direction. Maybe I was beginning to lose my mind already.

Once I clocked out, I went over to my locker to collect my bag and my coat. Shrugging into my coat, I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed to the front doors. I waved good-bye to the night nurses who had just arrived as I stepped out into the cold night air.

Noah was already out front waiting for me. I went to open the door, but my hand froze when my eyes could sight of Dr. Cullen on the other side of the lot.

He was leaning casually against the side of his slick black Mercedes. His white lab coat had been exchanged for a long black trench coat, which was offset by his light blue shirt and navy tie. He was watching me with those intense eyes of his. I shuddered slightly before yanking the door of Noah's car open and getting inside.

"Who was that?" Noah instantly asked once he started to pull away.

"That," I said jabbing my thumb behind me, "would be the infamous Dr. Cullen."

Noah whistled low.

"Don't get any ideas."

"Why not?" he asked with a smile.

"Because." That was all I could say at the moment, as I tried to get those eyes out of my head.

"Come on, Tasha. You have to admit, he is handsome. Single?"

"I didn't see any rings. But like I said don't get any ideas. I don't think he swings that way."

Noah laughed slightly. "I wasn't thinking about me. Not that there is an over abundance of gay men in this town, I was thinking about you."

"Me?" I gasped loudly. "Are you insane?"

"Last I checked I was still in full function of myself. So no, I am not insane. Why would you say that? You haven't had a date in what? Four years?"

"Oh shut up! And I honestly think he wouldn't be the least interested in me anyway."

"Why?" What was this? Twenty-question or an interrogation?

"He only said like two sentences to me this morning and then the rest of the day he avoided me like I was the plague. And finally he looked like he wanted to like bite me or something. At least, that is the way the other nurse put it. I have come to the conclusion that he is just a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." I sighed and closed my eyes.

Noah couldn't possibly be serious.

"Well, I will drop it for now. But he does have a really nice car." Noah paused for a couple of seconds. "There was something else I wanted to talk to you about?"

"What?" I asked, keeping my eyes shut.

"As you may or may not know. I started a theatrical company here in town. We are putting on our winter show about two months. I think you should come and audition." He said this all in a span of a few seconds.

I snapped my eyes open. "That is it! You definitely have lost all your marbles!"

"Oh come on, Tasha! It will be fun. I am sure I am not the only one who remembers what a great singing voice you have." Noah pulled into my driveway and parked the car.

I couldn't get myself to get up just yet. Was he really serious? I hadn't done a show since senior year of high school. Granted I joined a choir in college, just so I wouldn't lose my voice. But could I really get up onto a stage again?

I sighed heavily. I might as well try; it would give me something to do when I wasn't working. Maybe it would help me get reacquainted with some of the people from town.

"What show are you doing?" I asked.

Noah grinned widely. "I knew you would come around. We finally got enough funding to do a real show. So we got the rights to do _The Phantom of the Opera_."

Of course it was going to be that one. Why did I even bother to ask? Noah had been obsessed with that particular musical for years, and I knew he was just waiting for his opportunity to do it.

"Auditions are tomorrow at the High School and call-backs are on Wednesday. Both nights start at seven. I am so happy that you agreed to do this, Tasha."

"Yeah, yeah," I replied getting out of the car. "Pick me up tomorrow morning?"

"Yup."

**Carlisle's POV **

I stood leaning against my car. I smelled her coming before she even walked out of the doors. It was an interesting combination of lavender and sweet vanilla. There was no mistaking the slow burning at the back of my throat. But I stayed, unmoving in my place as she came out the doors. She caught my eyes for an instant. I saw the slight shudder that raked her small frame before she slipped into the car waiting for her.

I caught sight of the young man with spiky black hair in the driver's seat. Boyfriend, maybe?

I shook my head, why did I suddenly care whether or not she had a boyfriend?

My first priority was to get home. I needed to clear my head.

Opening the door with a little more force than was necessary, I got into the driver's seat and started the engine. I was out on the road in a matter of seconds and was speeding my way home.

No matter what I did, I could not get her pretty little face out of my head. She was a short petite thing, probably only an inch or two taller than Alice, who was exceptionally small. She had the most intense pair of bright blue eyes, I had seen in a long time.

The one thing that didn't go unnoticed was the way she had her reddish brown hair swept up into a neat bun on the top of her head. This exposed the long smooth column of her neck.

I had tried my hardest not to laugh, when I heard Jenny whisper to her about my looking like I wanted to bite her.

But it wasn't just the overwhelming desire for her blood that I felt, which in itself was unusual for me. I had spent over three hundred years conditioning and disciplining myself to resist humans. I thought I had done quite well, considering that I could be a doctor, be around human blood all the time, and not feel a thing.

However, something about this girl made me feel something. It cracked a piece of the exterior I had put up.

As I pulled up my long driveway which led up to the house, I tried to not think about her anymore. I knew that once I was within range of the house, Edward would pick up on something. Maybe I wanted him to hear something; I knew I probably should talk to someone about this.

I also needed to have a word with Alice. Why did she not tell me if she saw this coming?

Pulling up in front of the house, I saw Alice standing completely still on the front steps with a far-our expression on her face. The second I was out of the car, she was in front of me, looking up intently at my face.

"You are alone?" she said. It was distinctly not a question.

"Yes."

She sighed heavily and a huge smile broke out across her face. She threw her arms around me and hugged me tight. In response I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

She pulled away slightly and punched me in the arm.

"Don't do that to me, Carlisle! You had me so worried," she let out in a rush.

"What did you see?" I asked seriously as we headed inside.

She stopped and closed her eyes before speaking. "I saw a young woman from the hospital. She had red hair and you had your teeth in her neck."

She opened her eyes again, looking at me intently.

"I was worried you would see that. Do the others know?" I asked before we went inside.

"Of course Edward knows. When it was as profound as it was, it was hard for him to stay out of my head. And Jasper knows, simply because I cannot keep things from him."

"Rosalie and Emmett?" I hoped that not all of my children knew about my momentary lapse.

"They went hunting this morning and won't be back until tomorrow."

Well three out of five wasn't so bad, I decided as I opened the front door.

I heard the soft playing of Edward at the piano in the living room and followed Alice in that direction.

As soon as I entered the room, Edward stopped abruptly and lifted his head to look at me intently.

_No need to worry, Edward._ I told him in my head, and he just nodded in response before coming over to us.

I took off my coat and draped it over the back of the sectional couch which was shaped like a horseshoe. I sat down on one side facing Alice, who had come to sit next to Jasper. Jasper closed his book, set it down next to him, and placed an arm around Alice's shoulders. Edward also came over and sat on the center section.

We sat there in relative silence.

"Just for the record," Alice started happily, "Carlisle didn't bite anyone!"

Jasper and Edward laughed quietly, while I just shook my head looking down at the floor.

Then I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up at Edward.

"You do have to remember I can hear you. So there is no reason to beat yourself up about it. It was an impulse and luckily you didn't act on it," he said reassuringly.

"Yes," I agreed. "I don't know what came over me."

"It was just a lapse in judgment. I have them all the time," Jasper put it with a light laugh. He was the newest to our family and normally had a hard time trying to resist humans.

"I just have never left a pull like that in centuries."

A soft gasp caught my attention and I looked up, noticing that Alice had gone stiff again.

"What do you see?" Jasper asked quietly, taking hold of her hand.

"The girl… from the hospital… she is with Carlisle… they are in an open field… he has her in his arms…" Alice stopped and caught my eye.

"Great!" I groaned. This was getting worse by the minute. "Let's talk about something thing. I am going to need time to process all of this before I am able to talk about it again."

The other three nodded in agreement.

"How is school going?" I asked lamely.

Alice instantly perked up at this. "Excellent!" she chimed in as both of the boys groaned.

"Mine and Rosalie's music teacher, Mr. Miller, organizes a local theatrical group and they are putting on a musical in two months. He encouraged us all to audition. I wanted to check with you to make sure it was alright that we did."

I smiled and nodded. "Of course."

The more we blended into the community the better. Besides, Alice and Rosalie did have excellent singing voices

"And he said we should encourage other people to come too," she practically beamed at me.

_What did this girl have up her sleeve? _Edward snickered next to me.

"I thought, I am going drag you alone, Carlisle," Alice finished.

"Alice, what are-"

"You should do it." This time it wasn't Alice, but Edward who interrupted me. I turned my head quickly to look at him, surprised. "We all know that you can sing really well. It has been decades since you have done any sort of public performance and I know you miss it. Besides, I also know you are thinking about it. It might help as a distraction from the girl, if you are looking for something to take your mind off her."

I hated it when he was right; especially when he got into my head and used that to convince me that it was the right thing to do.

"You're right. I'll do it."

I can't believe I just agreed to audition for a musical.

**TO BE CONTINUED………**

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**So, is the storying working out alright??**


	4. Chapter 4

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you so much to everyone who left me comments! I means alot to me, so keep up the good work ... lol. I hope you enjoy this next part! **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer.**

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**Chapter Four**

**Carlisle's POV continued…**

Parking my car in the high school lot, I made my way up the front steps. I questioned my sanity with every step I took. The only reason I was there was because Alice had some how convinced me to come. Even Rosalie was excited about my coming as well, which was very unusual for her.

I think I was just happy to be out of the hospital and doing something different. They were all right last night, when they said I needed something to distract myself from that new nurse. Maybe I should view these actions of mine as something to regain my sanity rather than loosing it?

I had spent almost all day at the hospital trying to avoid Natasha; I had started to use her name in my head. After hearing Alice's vision from the day before, both of them for that matter, I had tried my best to stay clear of her. I didn't trust myself. This was a new feeling for me, because I was the most controlled person I knew.

But what was it about this one human that was getting in my head and driving me up a wall? I had barely said two sentences to her since yesterday, since today I endeavored to stay out of her way.

Walking down a long deserted hallway, I tried to find the auditorium. It wasn't until the heard the faint strings of music in the distant, did I finally have a clue to where I was going. I followed the music until I reached a set of large wooden doors, one of which was propped open.

It seemed like I was a little early, so I just stood outside the door, leaning against a pair of lockers. I sighed heavily and dropped my head so my chin rested against my chest as I gazed down at the floor. I figured I would wait there until Alice and Rosalie came.

I scrunched my nose up and down slightly when I caught a whiff of an all too familiar fragrance, lavender and vanilla. This smell was accompanied by the soft clicking of high heels against the linoleum.

I groaned inwardly. Why was this girl everywhere I seemed to be?

"Dr. Cullen?" the angel sweet voice asked me as she came closer.

I kept my eyes fixed on the floor, until she was standing next to me. A pair of purple snake-skin heels came into my line of vision. This greatly confused me, she did not seem like the kind of girl to wear shoes like that, besides the height of them alone could have put several pairs of Rosalie's shoes to shame.

I raised my head, taking in the entirety of her appearance from the shoes upward. Her long smooth legs were bare after the end of her tight jean skirt that reached the tops of her knees. Going to look up at her face, I took immediate notice that her shirt only had one long right sleeve that seemed to fit her tiny frame like a second-skin. The result was that her left collarbone, shoulder and arm completely bare. Her hair was done, but pulled back simply. I had just noticed how incredibly long her hair really was.

"Miss Daniels," I managed to choke out, feeling the burn in my throat starting to rise. Sometimes, vampire instincts can become quiet a nuisance.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, as she caught my eye.

I tried to remain as calm, cool and casual as 'humanly' possible, which was not really possible, being as I wasn't human, but I tried nonetheless.

"I am just waiting for my daughters," I said.

"Oh." She paused.

We stood in an awkward silence for several moments. She went to look at her feet, which gave me the opportunity to look her over once more. It was then I noticed something that looked like a green leaf on the top of her left shoulder. This was most curious.

I went to question her about it, when a young man walked out of the auditorium. I turned my head to look at him and I instantly recognized him as the man who had been driving Natasha to and from work.

"Tasha, you are finally here!" he called when he caught sight of her.

She raised her head and smiled, brilliantly.

"I am not late yet, Noah."

I just stood there and watched the exchange. Two conclusions I came to in the brief moment: 1) they were friends, if not best friends and 2) there were no romantic feelings.

"So, are you going to introduce me to your friend?" the man named Noah asked.

Natasha just shook her head. "I'm sorry. Dr. Cullen, this is Noah Miller, high school music teacher though he likes to think himself a director." She poked him playfully in the arm. "And Noah, this is Dr. Cullen; we work in the ER together."

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Dr. Cullen," Noah said as he offered me his hand.

I gave his hand a quick shake, so he would not have much time to notice the frigid temperature of my grasp.

"Please call me Carlisle," I said with a smile.

"So, are you here for the auditions?" He casually propped himself up against a locker, looking at Natasha then back at me.

"Noah, really!" Natasha broke out before I had a chance to respond. "I hardly think-"

"Of course," I responded, interrupting her mid-sentence.

She just turned to gawk at me for a moment, before clutching her jaw shut.

"I thought, you said you were waiting for your daughters?" she asked tightly.

"Alice and Rosalie are coming?" Noah burst in happily.

"They are."

And almost on cue, I saw them out of the corner of my eye coming in our direction.

"Excellent! Why don't we go inside then, it seems like everyone else is here. We might as well get started," Noah stated as he come up behind Natasha and led her inside.

He stood exactly behind her, so I could not get a good look at her shoulder, as I still wondered what that leaf was about.

Once they were out of view, Alice and Rosalie were immediately by my side. Alice was grinning from ear to ear, it was as if she knew something I didn't know and 99.999% of the time she did. Rosalie, on the other hand was just shaking her head at me.

"Jeez, Carlisle, you do know how to pick them."

"What was wrong with her?" Alice piped in.

Rosalie just patted me on the shoulder. "I just never thought that five inch heels and tattoos were Carlisle's style. That is more of Emmett's style, minus the tattoos of course," she laughed as she raised her foot to show off her very high shoe.

Tattoos? I turned my head swiftly to the open door and peered inside. I caught of Natasha leaning up against the piano. Sure enough, I caught sight of the colorful design that graced her left shoulder.

Up high on her shoulder blade was red and black hibiscus, which was probably about the size of my palm. On the upper left and lower right were matching small light purple star-shaped flowers, each with a green leaf.

While it was quite large, as stood out against her skin, it seemed to suit her in a way I could not understand.

With that final thought, Alice grabbed hold of my hand, and dragged me into the auditorium.

**Natasha's POV**

What in the name of all things that were holy, was _he_ doing here? I was almost convinced that he was stalking me or something at this point.

He continued to stare oddly at me today at work, though he had managed to get out a couple of civilized sentences to me. All of which were work related.

I sank down onto a chair in the audience as I half listened to Noah's introduction and then procedures as to the process of the audition. This was not the first audition in which I had to suffer through Noah's unusual methods. Since _The Phantom of the Opera_ had almost no dialogue to speak of, we would skip over that part and spend more time on the singing aspect. So ladies were to go first, then gentlemen, and then we would be paired up to do a duet. Then knowing Noah we would them most likely go through 90% of the music, so that he could really see what voice type fit each role.

I knew this was going to be a long evening. This musical was going to be his baby and the cast was going to have to deal with that.

I sat back and watched all the women auditioning go ahead of me. I knew that Noah was going to save me for last. I made special note to pay attention Alice and Rosalie, Dr. Cullen's daughters.

I was instantly taken aback by both of their appearances. Noah had told me that Carlisle had adopted all his children. So then, there was something eerie in the fact that they both were as pale white as he was and had the same butterscotch colored eyes. Alice was much shorter, probably closer to my height, with a pixie style hair cut that suited her perfectly. Rosalie had to be the most beautiful girl I had ever seen with her long blonde hair.

As for the singing, Alice had a sweet little voice while Rosalie had an almost shrill soprano. When I caught Noah making notes as they had sung, I knew exactly what roles he would give them. Alice would be little Meg Giry and Rosalie would be the prima donna Carlotta.

Then it finally came my time to sing. I stood from my place and went to stand by the piano. The music was already spread out every where. Clearing my throat, I began to sing Think of Me as every one before me had.

_Think of me, think of me fondly  
__When we've said good-bye  
__Remember me once in a while  
__Please promise me, you'll try  
__Then you'll find that once again you long  
__To take your heart back and be free  
__If you'll ever find a moment  
__Spare a thought for me_

As my voice soared, I could feel his eyes once more burning into me. I found them out in the crowd. His eyebrows were pushed together as though he were deep in thought.

I could not tear my eyes away from him as I sang and it wasn't until the song was over that I was able to break the spell of his gaze.

Noah was beaming at me the instant I was done. Obviously, I hadn't lost much talent if any according to him. This comforted me greatly as I went back to take my seat.

Once I was done, then the auditions turned to the men, who were to sing Music of the Night, which was the Phantom's signature song.

I closed my eyes trying to drown out the singing. Some were actually pretty good, others were atrocious.

At about the fifth singer, I was almost sick of the butchering of that song. However, things changed with the sixth singer went up on stage.

Since I had my eyes closed, I could not see who it was, but I let the purity of the voice get into my head.

_Softly, deftly, music shall caress you ...  
Hear it, feel it, secretly possess you ..._

_Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind,  
In this darkness which you know you cannot fight -  
The darkness of the music of the night._

_Let your mind start a journey through a strange, new world!  
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before!  
Let your soul  
Take you where you long to be!  
Only then can you belong to me ..._

There was a clarity and a richness to the voice. It was strong, but eerie at the same time, if that was at all possible. It was everything I had hoped the Phantom would sound like.

I slowly opened my eyes to find out who this voice belonged to and who, with very little doubt in my mind, Noah would give the role of the Phantom to.

A shiver ran down my spine when I was met with the sight of Dr. Cullen standing by the piano as he sang the last line.

_Help me make the music of the night _

TO BE CONTINUED……

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**I just to note that I have pictures of Natasha's outfit and tattoo if anyone is interested, just let me know! Thank you!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you again to everyone who left me comments! This chapter is shorter than some of the last ones have been. I am still debating about how I want to proceed from here. So any ideas are welcome!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer**.

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**Chapter Five**

**Natasha's POV continued...**

After Dr. Cullen sang there was only one more man after him. I was very grateful for that. The air in the auditorium suddenly felt very close and I felt like I was going to suffocate. Fresh air was definitely in order as soon as I could get away for a moment.

Once the last man was done, Noah said that we could have a short break, before we went on to duets, and to be back in fifteen minutes. This was exactly the opportunity I was looking for.

Grabbing my bag from the seat next to me, I headed for the doors. I needed to go outside.

The cool crisp night air instantly made me feel a little better as I headed over to a bench. Sitting down I braced my hands on the edge and leaned forward for a moment, enjoying the way the breeze cooled my heated flesh. I hadn't realized how warm it was in there until I was outside.

I absolutely had to figure out what was up with Dr. Cullen. The man confused me to no end. Granted he had a very clean singing voice, but what the hell was he doing here? It just did not make any sense to me. What kind of doctor did musical theater?

I reached into my bag and starting to dig around trying to find what I was looking for. When my hand touched the small leather case, I grasped it tightly and pulled it out.

I looked at it miserably for a moment; there were too many times I had wanted to throw the whole damned thing out. But every time I tried I couldn't find it within myself to do it.

In my moment of weakness, I snapped the case open and drew out one of the remaining five cigarettes I had left. Going back into my bag, I pulled out my lighter.

With the cigarette firmly clutched between my lips and flicking the lighter, I held the small flame to the end until it caught. I inhaled the mentholated smoke, enjoying the way it almost instantly calmed my nerves. I took it between my fore and middle fingers, and lowering my hand, resting it against the bench again. The smoke curled into the air as I exhaled slowly.

I dejectedly looked down at the cigarette between my fingers. Four months without even the slightest temptation, but something had snapped within me and I craved it more than anything else. It would seem that two days with an oddly pale doctor was enough to drive me off the wagon.

The burning embers of my cigarette glowed as I took another long drag; I tried to figure out what was going on with me. Too many questions swirled in my head that I could not even get them straight.

Lost in my own thoughts, I did not hear someone approach me until I felt the warm scratchy wool of a jacket being laid over my bare shoulders.

"You know those things aren't good for your voice," Dr. Cullen said as he took the seat next to me on the bench.

"It's your fault," I muttered under my breath low enough that he would not hear me. But apparently he did when I looked up and saw his shoulders shaking with slight laughter.

I gaped at him openly, when he plucked the cigarette from my fingers, dropped it, and ground it out with the heel of his shoe.

"If I seem to insight bad habits, I might as well end them." He smirked at me slightly.

I just shook my head and pulled his coat tighter around my shoulders; I didn't realize how cold it really was outside.

**Carlisle's POV**

We sat there in a comfortable silence for a few moments. She looked so small and helpless drowning in my coat as she stared at her feet. I watched as her tongue peeked out to moisten her lips and it took all my control to not move.

I tore my gaze away from her lusciously full lips when she asked softly, "Why do you hate me?"

I ached to tell her that I didn't hate her that what I felt was far from hate, but I also didn't want to scare her away. So to answer her question, I asked one of my own. "What makes you think I hate you?"

She sighed, trying to find the words. "You seemed so nice yesterday after we saved the arrested patient and then something changed. You were staring at me for the rest of the day, yes I did notice, and today you were doing it again. What else am I supposed to think?"

I hesitated for a moment, decided very carefully on my choice of words.

"I don't hate you," I said simply.

She practically snorted. "Well that is a relief! What are you doing here, really?"

I leaned back against the bench, gazing up at the stars.

"I came for the auditions, of course. What other reason would I have to be here?"

"But why?" she persisted, "You don't seem like the theater-type."

I smiled in spite of myself. "Well then, it seems like there is a lot you don't know about me." Once I said it, I figured that you could take that statement in practically every direction.

"Why don't we start over?" she offered as she turned to look at me. I lowered my head to look at her also.

"Carlisle," I said offering her my hand, against my better judgment, like she had done to me yesterday.

"Natasha," she responded with a smile, taking hold of my hand. "Oh! Your hand is so cold. You seem to need your coat more than I do!"

She started to take off my coat, but I stopped her.

"It's alright, I am sure I will warm up once we are in-doors. We should head back inside anyway, our break is over."

We both rose at the same time and headed back inside. As we walked silently back, I stuffed my hands in my pockets as a pretense. I knew that it wasn't going to do anything, but I might as well put up the façade.

I shouldn't have touched her, I realized. Not only because of my frigid body temperature, but because I had wanted it too much. Her skin was soft, smooth, and warm next to mine. Her scent still plagued my nostrils and now that we were inside and closer together, it only intensified. It was enough to drive any man crazy, but I knew I had to contain myself.

Out of the corner of my eye, I looked at her profile and noticed the way the cold had flushed her cheeks. I balled up one of the hands in my pockets to prevent myself from reaching out and caressing her cheek.

We stopped right outside of the auditorium and the music had started back up already. Natasha slipped my coat from her shoulders and handed it back to me.

"Thank you," she said with a smile. "We better get in there, before Noah thinks we disappeared!"

I laughed slightly as she turned to enter the room. When her back was turned, I raised my jacket to my nose and took a slight sniff. Her scent had attached itself to the fabric as I had hoped it would. If I wasn't already going to hell, I sure was now.

The second we entered, Noah was calling out to us.

"There you two are! It's your turn!" he yelled with an over exaggerated wave of his arm.

We went up to the stage and took our places next to the piano. Noah sat at the bench, flipping through the music before he pulled something out of the stack. He handed it to us.

"I want to try this one for a change. It is a much shorter piece, but I think it helps show the strength of both the singers," he explained as I laid out the music for Natasha and myself.

With a nod from both of us, we started the piece; me singing the Phantom's part and Natasha Christine's.

_PHANTOM  
Too long you've wandered in winter  
Far from my far reaching gaze__  
PHANTOM / CHRISTINE  
__Yet your soul obeys... / Yet the sold obeys...  
__Angel of Music! / Angel of Music!  
__You denied me / I denied you  
__Turning from true beauty / Turning from true beauty  
__Angel of Music! / Angel of Music!  
__Do not shun me / My protector....  
__Come to your strange Angel... / Come to me, strange Angel...  
__  
PHANTOM  
I am your Angel of Music...  
Come to me, Angel of Music_

CHRISTINE  
Wildly my mind beats against you

PHANTOM  
You resist

Our voices melded together in ways I did not understand. We also did not seem to have any qualms about belting it out when the moment called for it.

When we were done, we just turned to look at each, both of us with big smiles on our faces. I noticed the happy sparkle in her blue eyes; this was where she belonged.

It took me a moment to realize that Noah was clapping, he too with the silliest grin on his face.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	6. Chapter 6

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: It has been brought to my attention that performance rights for _The Phantom of the Opera_ are not available to the public. This would make the entire show they are preparing for completely illegal. I was aware of this when I started the story. However this is completely fictional and since people can write _Phantom_ fanfiction, I have decided to ignore this little fact. So, in the story, it is legal for them to do this. I mean, how could I resist casting a vampire as the Phantom?**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own _The Phantom of the Opera_ or anything associated with it.**

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**Chapter Six**

**Natasha's POV…**

I collapsed into one of the chairs behind the nurse's station. I was completely exhausted and all I wanted to do was take a nap. I dropping my head back over the end of the chair and closed my eyes.

The last two weeks have gone by so quickly and I had been so busy that I did not know where the time had gone. Between work and rehearsal, I had almost no time to myself. Which, I guess was a good thing. It gave me much less time to think.

Carlisle and I had grown to be friends, or at least friendly with each other. This obviously could not be avoid since we worked together all day and then in the evening. After we had had our talk that first night at auditions, things seemed a lot smoother between us.

There was an ease to our friendship and it really helped when we worked together. Even Jenny made a note to point this out to me.

"I can see who doctor's favorite is," she said, with a raised eyebrow.

I raised my head to look at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh please! You would have to blind to miss the way Dr. Cullen looks at you."

I wasn't blind, I did notice the new way that Carlisle would look at me. It was so much different than the glares he had given me at the beginning. They were friendlier, happier and now would actually catch him staring.

I went to say something in reply to Jenny, when Cathy came up to me and dropped a chart in my lap.

"Little boy in room ten," Cathy said, smiling at me slightly. "Has a six inch cut in his left shin, he will probably need stitches. Why don't you take this one?"

I looked at her curiously, but she just winked at me before she walked away. Sighing, I picked up the chart and headed to the room.

A boy of about eight, Nate, was propped up in the bed, with his mother was sitting on the bed next to him, holding his hand tightly. There was no mistaking the golden head that was leaning over Nate's leg.

No wonder Cathy wanted me to take this one. I was almost 100% certain that she had it out for me the minute she knew that Carlisle and I were on good terms.

Carlisle raised his head and glanced back over his shoulder at me. A soft smile graced his lips before he turned back around.

"This is going to need at least four to five sutures," he spoke softly, dabbing up the blood that oozed from the wound. "Natasha, can you set that up for me, while I talk to Mrs. Davies outside for a moment?"

"Yes, doctor," I replied and turned from the room.

I gathered up the supplies and headed back into the room. Carlisle was comforting the mother as he led her to a chair right outside the door. I could tell she was protesting about not being allowed in the room. However, it was hospital procedure that for this sort of thing, mothers were not allowed in the room.

Disappearing into the room, I quickly laid everything out onto a small table that could easily be wheeled to the bed side. I smiled at the little boy as he stared up at me with wide eyes.

I turned from him for a moment and stuck my head out of the door.

"Dr. Cullen, everything is ready."

He nodded slightly. I walked out of the room for a moment and knelt down in front of the mother, who was wringing a tissue between her hands.

"I promise to take good care of Nate," I said to her softly. "Dr. Cullen is the best doctor I know. Everything will be alright."

Her lips twitched slightly as if she was trying to smile. "Thank you," was all she managed to squeak out.

I went back into the room and moved a chair over to sit next to the bed. Placing my back to Carlisle who was once again bent over the boy's leg, I help out my hand to Nate.

"Would you like to hold my hand?" I asked.

He shook his head frantically as he grasped my hand tightly. I decided that I would try to get him to talk; maybe it would help take his mind off his wound.

"That is quite a cut you got there. Will you tell me how it happened?" I asked as I gave his hand a gently squeeze.

He finally tore his eyes away from Carlisle who was prepping the Novocain to numb the leg. He looked up at me like a scared little bird.

"I was playing baseball with my older brother," he said with a slight wince as he felt the needle pierce his skin. "I was running after the ball. I tripped on a rock and fell over."

"Do you like baseball?"

"Oh very much! It is fun with a lot of people."

"What position do you like to play?"

"Shortstop," he said with a toothless grin. "You get to the play the most there."

We talked comfortable for a few more minutes.

"Alright, buddy. You are all done." Carlisle's voice broke through our conversation.

I snapped my head around quickly and caught slight of the perfect straight line of five stitches. My jaw dropped open visibly as he started to wrap it up in gauze.

"That was fast," I said in disbelief. It was almost too fast. I had never heard of anyone doing sutures that fast before, especially so neatly.

"Lots of practice," Carlisle said with a slight shrug as he rose from his stool. He walked over and patted Nate heartily on the shoulder. "You were very brave. Your mother will be very proud."

"Can I see her now," Nate asked looking between us.

I removed my hand from his. "I will get her."

His mother was very happy to see me come out smiling and told her she could go in.

I leaned up against the wall waiting for Carlisle to come out. Once I had come to terms about one mystery with that man, there was immediately another one. Only the night before had I finally come to terms with the fact that he was perpetually cold no matter the circumstances. But this new found speed at stitches was something else entirely.

"How did you do that?" I asked the second he was out the door.

"What do you mean?" He stopped and looked down at me with those eyes of liquid gold.

"You give that boy five sutures in like six minutes. Every other doctor I have seen, it would have taken nearly twice as long."

He raised one shoulder and then dropped it again. Then he leaned down and whispered in my ear. "Why go slower and have the boy experience more pain if I could do it faster?"

Carlisle stood up suddenly and walked off in the opposite direction.

I remained in a state of confusion for the rest of the day. I had stopped thinking about it at one point, knowing there was no reason to do so. Since he was obviously not going to give me the answers I was looking for, I gave up. No reason to torture myself more than was necessary.

At the end of the day, I went to my locker to retrieve my stuff to go home. It had been a long day and I was happy we didn't have rehearsal that night. I just wanted to relax a little. Opening my bag, I pulled out my cell phone and noticed that I had a message.

Noah couldn't pick me up from work; it seemed that his parents needed him for something important. I sighed heavily, snapping my phone shut and dropping it back in my bag.

"Troubles?"

I turned around to find Carlisle leaning against the lockers close to mine.

I really wanted to say, 'yeah you', but I knew that wouldn't fly to well.

"My ride bailed," I said simply.

"I can take you home," he offered.

"If it is not too much of an inconvenience. I could always walk." I shut my locker and turned to face him completely.

"Not all. I almost insist then if you plan on walking. It is not safe at night."

He went to get his own things and then we walked out to the parking lot together. Unlocking his Mercedes, he opened the door for me and I slipped inside.

It still smelled like new leather as I sunk down in the plush coverings. Once he got into the car, Carlisle asked me for my address and we went speeding off in that direction.

Not another word was spoken until we reached my house. He parked out front and cut the engine. I was slightly confused, but then noticed he had come around to my side of the car. He opened the door for me.

"You know that this isn't really necessary," I said as he walked me to the door.

We stopped right outside my front door and I thought I saw the kitchen curtains rustle slightly out of the corner of my eye.

"Would you like to come in?" I asked before I had a chance to stop myself, but I continued quickly, "My grandma is dieing to meet you."

"Is she now?" He smiled, flashing his white teeth.

"Oh she is! She has wanted to know who I have been spending all my time with. Besides, she will think it rude that you would drop me off and not come to say hello to her. Please?" I hoped that was enough reason for him to say yes.

"Alright."

I smiled to myself and opened the door, leading him inside.

"Grandma?" I called out once I had taken both of our jackets and had hung them up.

"In the kitchen, dear," she replied.

Carlisle followed me as I went into the kitchen. Grandma was leaning over the stove, stirring something in a pot. Whatever it was it smelled delicious.

"Grandma, I would like you to meet someone."

A great big smile brought out over her face, when she saw that I had Carlisle with me. I think she would have been just as happy if I brought any man home.

"This is Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He works at the hospital with me and he is also the Phantom in the musical Noah is putting on," I explained to her.

She came over to us, wiping her hands on her apron.

"It is nice to finally meet you, Dr. Cullen. My granddaughter has told me so much about you." She offered him her hand.

"Has she now?" He took her hand in his and slowly raised it to his lips, gently kissing the top. To that day, I had never seen Grandma blush the way she did. "All good things I hope."

"Of course," she replied. "Will you be staying for dinner?"

I waited for his answer, because when I thought about it, I never really had seen him eat. Ever.

"Thank you for the offer, but I cannot. My children are expecting me at home, so I should not tarry for too long."

"Maybe another time then," Grandma offered.

He smiled brilliantly at her and inclined his head slightly.

"Well, I should be going," he said.

"I will show you out."

I followed him to the door, got him his coat and led him back outside.

"Thank you for the ride."

He just gazed down at me as if he was going to say something, but could not form the words.

I stood with my back against one of the posts on the porch with Carlisle's imposing figure in front of me. For the first time I noticed just how much shorter I was than him. My nose only reached to the middle of his immense chest.

I was so focused noticing the shade of grey of his shirt that I almost jumped when I felt him place a gentle, but ever cold, hand upon my cheek. He lifted my face up so I was looking directly into his expressive eyes, noticing that they had darkened slightly. Before I could blink his cool lips were upon mine.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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**So, let me know what you think! Please REVIEW so I know that people are actually reading this thing! Thank you! **


	7. Chapter 7

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to everyone who left reviews on the last chapter. You all rock!! So, as requested, here is the next part. Things seem to be getting more interesting now! Lol**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own _The Phantom of the Opera_ or anything associated with it.**

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**Chapter Seven**

**Carlisle's POV…**

I pressed my lips to hers, softly at first, just barely brushing them together. When I felt her soft sigh, I leaned in a little more, increasing the pressure of my lips.

I cupped her face in my hands, stroking her cheeks with the pads of my thumps. Her skin was warm and soft under my fingers. I could hear her heart pounding and the way it coursed through her veins under my fingertips. Trailing one hand down her neck, I felt her pulse against my hand. It reminded me how alive she really was.

As I stood on her porch only moments before, I knew I only had two opinions: to bite her or to kiss her. I desired her; there was no way around it. The vampireistic desire for her blood, but also the desire a man feels for a woman. There was no denying either emotion anymore. I might have lost my head and my undead heart to this girl. I believed that I would happier for it later.

Raising my head slowly, I noticed the way she gripped the front of my coat in her hands unlike her knuckles were white. Her face was turned up towards mine, her lips slightly swollen from our kisses, her big blue eyes staring at me.

The silence stretched between us as I continued to stroke her cheeks and neck. A soft almost mewing voice escaped her lips at my ministrations as she moved a little closer to me.

I should leave. Right now. Before I did something else stupid. However, I gave into my desires once more.

I kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, and then claimed her lips with mine once more.

I pulled away from her quickly, when my fingers something hard and swollen on either side of her neck below her ears. In an instant, I went from lover to doctor.

"Have you noticed these before?" I asked her softly.

"Hmmm? What?" She blinked her eyes a couple of times as if to come back to herself and let go of the front of my jacket.

"The lymph nodes behind your ears are swollen." I probed a little bit more.

Leaning down slightly, on the pretense I was going to get a better look, I breathed her in. The all too familiar scent filled my head, but it wasn't exactly the same. Her smell overall was the same, but her blood just did not seem nearly as sweet to me.

"Carlisle," she whispered, drawing me up to look at her again. "I feel fine."

"You should get these checked out."

"Yes, doctor," she said with the slightest bit of sarcasm.

I growled quietly to myself and reached into the inside pocket of my coat, pulled out one of my cards and a pen. One the back I scribbled my home phone number.

I held it out to her. "If anything happens or you suddenly don't feel well, please call me."

She shook her head slightly, taking my card. "Seriously, Carlisle, I feel fine. It is probably nothing anyway."

"Promise me, you will call," I urged her, taking her face between my hands once more.

"I promise."

"Good." I leaned down and pressed my lips to her forehead once more. "I will come pick you up in the morning."

"You don't have-" I stopped her pressing a finger to her lips.

"I want to. I will see you in the morning. Get some sleep, Natasha. You look exhausted." I smiled slightly.

She smiled as well. "I am exhausted. I am so happy Noah didn't need us tonight."

I nodded in agreement. I didn't trust myself to speak anymore. Inclining my head to her once more, I headed back to my car.

I finally allowed myself to think, once I was out on the road. There was something wrong with her. Maybe she knew and she didn't want to tell me or she doesn't know. I really hoped it was the former rather than the later. Granted there really was nothing I could do about it at the moment and possibly ever. How well would it sound if I said that I thought something was wrong when her blood didn't smell exactly correct? She would think I was crazy. As if she doesn't think that already.

I did not know what came over me tonight. It was not a habit of mine of kissing young girls in front of their house, probably with their grandma looking through the window at us. And if I looked at this on a realistic level, I was technically old enough to be great-grandfather over eight generations.

I groaned to myself and pushed my car faster. The last thing I wanted to do right now was to go home and face my family. I just didn't need Edward in my head right away or to confuse Jasper with all my conflicting emotions, not until I figure some of this out.

Parking the car out front, I turned and disappeared into the woods surrounding our house. My first priority was to hunt. It had been too long and I could not afford to lose my control now.

My nose quickly picked up the scent of a deer in the distance and I sprinted off in that direction.

Some time later, I found myself sitting on the ground leaning against a large oak tree, using the back of my hand to wipe the blood that had trickled down my chin. I breathed deeply, not that I really needed to breathe, but there something calming in the act.

I closed my eyes as I heard three sets of feet approach me. I knew I had come to close to the house. I started to sing in my head to keep Edward out of my head for right now. Their steps slowed when they came closer to me. None of them said anything, but I felt a wave of calm from Jasper.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I opened my eyes. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett were all seated on the leafy floor around me, each of them with a confused and concerned look on their face.

"Carlisle," Edward groaned. "We are here to help you. And if you want me out of your head, just tell me, because I cannot stand another chorus of _It's a Small World_."

Emmett and Jasper snickered slightly. Edward sent them almost hostile glares.

"Where do you want me to start? That I am in love with a human, whose blood calls to me like no one else's ever has, or should I mention the fact that there is something seriously wrong with her and I cannot say a word?" I offered, my words getting more biting with every word.

"You're in love with her?" Emmett asked, looking at Jasper rather than at me. Jasper simply inclined his head.

"God help me, I am," I interjected, sighing heavily. "Edward, look."

I thought back in my head what happened tonight, every little detail. He visibly shuddered.

"Sorry," I started. "I know some of that wasn't really necessary, but you needed to see it all."

"Thank you." Was all Edward said as he sat back, deep in thought. We sat in silence again, before he spoke again. "You are going to have to tell her."

"Tell her what?" Emmett asked.

"About what we are."

"You can't do that!" Jasper broke in. "It is too dangerous for the rest of us."

Edward racked a hand through his hair in frustration. "What do you think you found, Carlisle?"

"I don't know exactly. I have my theories, none of which are very pleasant. There is no way for me to come to a conclusive diagnosis without formal tests." I leaned my head back and looked up at the cloudy sky.

"Will she let you do that?" asked Jasper.

"I highly doubt it. She was convinced she felt fine. Swollen lymph nodes can be associated with a lot of things and can just happen on their own."

Emmett moved closer to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Then what is there to worry about?"

"Her blood doesn't smell right to me anymore."

All three of their eyebrows shut up.

"If that is your only clue, than there is nothing you can do without revealing us," Jasper said softly.

"I know and it is so infuriating! I don't have it within myself to sit idly by and watch her get sicker, if that is the cause, and know that I could have done something before it got worse."

"Then that is the choice you are going to have to make, Carlisle," put in Edward.

I thought for a moment, before lowering my head again. "Has Alice seen anything new?"

Jasper started, "She still sees the two of you together."

Well that was hopeful.

"But she also sees the girl getting sicker," Edward finished. "She has shared it with me. It is still very cloudy about how this will end."

**Natasha's POV **

I stood on the porch for a few more moments, after I watched Carlisle leave. I looked down at the card in my hand. I can't believe that man gave me his number. Maybe it was a sign, but I just caulked that up to he was worried about my health.

Raising my hands, I left where his hands had been. There was no mistaking the little bumps on either side. Oh, well. I was probably just getting a cold or something from lack of sleep. It couldn't really be anything too serious.

I went back inside, and found that Grandma had already laid out dinner. Sinking down into one of the chairs, I looked dejected down at dinner. While it smelled fantastic, I just wasn't hungry.

"He seemed like a very nice young man," Grandma said as she sat down across from me.

"He is," I agreed.

"You should invite him over again some time. I would like to get to know him better."

I smiled at her. "I will do that."

"Maybe he could bring his children too."

No amount of self-control could suppress my laughter. At rehearsals, I had had the privileged of meeting Alice and Rosalie. I had also met Jasper and Emmett, who had come to watch one evening, both being terribly interested in what their girlfriends were up to.

"They are hardly children anymore, Grandma!"

She looked up from her food. "What do you mean, dear?"

"They are all in high school. Two of them are freshman and the other three are sophomores."

Grandma just stared at me for the longest time, blinking slowly.

"Dr. Cullen has teenage children? He hardly looks twenty-five himself."

"You have forgotten, they are all adopted," I offered as I pushed my food around my plate. I hadn't bothered to taste it yet.

"Oh, yes. You are right, dear. But doesn't that seem strange to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"He is a very successful, single doctor, but he has taken in a group of teenagers?"

"Not really."

Grandma looked down her nose at me. "You haven't touched your dinner, Natasha."

I just shrugged my shoulders. "I guess I am not hungry. I think I am going to shower and get to bed early."

I rose from my place, put my still full plate in the sink and went over to kiss Grandma good night. I needed to get away from her before she started to ask anymore questions.

Going upstairs, I grabbed a towel from the hall closet and went into the bathroom. I turned the water on hot and stripped out of my clothes.

The hot spray against my back and shoulders helped wash away some of the stress and strain I had been feeling. I rested my head against the still cool tiles and closed my eyes, allowing the hot water to take over.

I could not believe he had kissed me. That was a very big surprise. There was no way to deny that or the fact that I had enjoyed it quite thoroughly.

The last guy who ever showed the slightest interest in me was David, the last boyfriend I ever had, freshman year of college. That relationship only lasted four months; until I found out he was sleeping with my lab partner. Since then, I avoided men in general.

I was happy, and I didn't need a man. I had my friends and I had Noah, so I felt like I wasn't missing anything.

But Carlisle was not some college boy who just wanted to get laid. He was a man, a real man, a grown-up man. It was almost too hard for me to believe that some one like him would ever be interested in someone like me.

However, I could not deny that he did seem at least a little interested in me. He had kissed me after all, twice actually.

Shaking my head, I quickly finished my shower and wrapping my towel around myself, I headed off to my room.

**TO BE CONTINUED……**

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**Let me know what you think!!! Please!**


	8. Chapter 8

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: OMG! Thank you to everyone who left reviews on the last chapter! 9 is like a new record for me. I am so happy that people are liking my story, it makes me write faster. So keep it up! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own _The Phantom of the Opera_ or anything associated with it.**

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**Chapter Eight**

**Natasha's POV continued…**

Carlisle was staring at me again. And for some reason, this time it felt a lot more uncomfortable than it had in the past. I couldn't read him to save my own life. In the beginning he was hostile, then he was happy, and now it seemed like constant worry. That man's mood swings were enough to make anyone dizzy.

I instantly noticed something was wrong when he picked me up for work that morning. He was casually talking to my grandma at the kitchen table when I walked in. It wasn't hard to miss the fact that his smile seemed almost forced. In an instant, he was at my side inquiring as to my health. Even when I insisted that I fine, he checked my neck again. I couldn't suppress the shiver of his cold fingers on my skin again.

The silence on the road to work was heavy, neither of us bothering to say anything. I would have to admit, I was kind of frustrated with him. I mean, what right did he have to suddenly care so much? It really caught me off guard, since it wasn't until yesterday that he really started to show any affection towards me what so ever.

Not that I minded getting attention from someone like Carlisle, it just seemed weird almost. I knew I did not deserve someone like him, but if he was doing the attracting, and not me being an idiot, who am I to question that? Not that I was going to particularly encourage or discourage him either.

Once we had gotten to the hospital, we had gone our separate ways and got to work. I knew it was going to be a long exhausting day, when it started with multi-casualty car accident on the highway right out side of town. They brought it in at least five people, some more injured than others. One was pronounced dead the minute he was brought in and another was in very critical condition.

It took a whole team of us before we were able to stabilize the patient. What didn't help the matter was the fact that Carlisle and I got assigned to the same patient. Granted other people were in and out the entire time for second opinions and to help, but it was primarily just us. Again. I was close to finding whoever was in charge of assignments and doing them some bodily harm.

Not that I didn't like working Carlisle, I saw him _all the time_ at this point. Whether or not that was a good thing was hard to tell. I wouldn't have minded so much a couple of days ago when Carlisle was in a good mood, but now that he was hyper-attentive mood, it drove me crazy. It might have to with the fact that he was almost constantly asking me if I was alright.

I swore that he if asked me that one more time, I was going to kick him or something.

The rest of the day went on and by the time it was over, all I wanted to do was to take a nap. I was so tired, which was strange since I had slept like the dead the night before and had gotten ten hours of sleep. I just assumed it was the strain of working hard all day and having to deal with an insufferable doctor.

Unfortunately for me, sleep was going to be a long way off. We had rehearsal that night. Somehow, in the infinite wisdom that was Noah, he had mixed up his dates and instead of having eight weeks of practice we only had six. Not that those two weeks made up much of a difference, but apparently to Noah it was the live all, end all.

This only meant more time at rehearsal for the rest of us. After a week of this, so now we were half way through the process, it was starting to get intolerable. I know I wasn't the only one starting to feel the drain of all the work. However, Carlisle, Alice and Rosalie were showing no signs of fatigue like the rest of us. Annoying pale people!

Carlisle had taken it upon himself to drive me to and from work and rehearsals. I think it was his excuse to monitor my health much to my chagrin, because he really was getting persistent. We even got into an argument about it after three days of this.

"_I am a doctor," he said in an almost condescending way. "You really should listen to me!"_

"_And I am a nurse. I may not have a full medical degree like you, but I am not stupid!" I tried to argue back. _

_He growled slightly. "I never said you were stupid! You are just being careless."_

"_You are not my father, my husband or even my boyfriend. Why do you care so much?" _

"_Because, I l-" he stopped himself before he could finish his sentence. He gripped the steering wheel of his car harder; I was almost convinced he was going to leave indents in it. _

"_You were saying…"_

"_Because, I don't want to see you hurt," he finally admitted._

_I reached over and placed my hand on top of his. "I am a big girl now, Carlisle. I can take care of myself."_

"_I know," he sighed heavily. _

After that, he seemed to lessen his constant persistence. It wasn't like he stopped caring; he just gave up trying to convince me that something was wrong. However, this only increased the staring he did during the day, which was starting to raise the suspicions of some of the other people working at the hospital.

Jenny was particularly becoming hostile towards me. It seemed like she harbored some secret feelings for Carlisle and when he only gave me attention, it only increased her anger at me. Once, I was convinced that I was going to start seeing smoke come out of her ears.

A week and a half after Carlisle had convinced himself that I was feeling unwell, did _I_ really start to feel sick. I was particularly starting to feel the strain on my system of not really eating and working really hard. I had begun to skip lunch every day because I was never really hungry and what was the point of eating if you weren't hungry. As a result, I had lost a fair amount of weight in a short period of time. Grandma was already shaking her head at me, mumbling under breath about eating disorders.

My other clue was when I had to switch my habit of showering before bed instead of in the morning, but I had to amend that when I started to have constant night sweats.

It was in a sickened state that I found myself perched on the end of the stage, my feet dangling off one end, and a water bottle in my hand. I drank deeply from the bottle, enjoying the feeling of the cool water on my parched throat.

Noah had let me take a break when he started to notice I was looking quite pale. I was feeling quite warm and a light sweat had broken out over my brow. I thought the heat of the lights were just getting to me. Taking a few deep breaths I tried to calm myself and to feel better. Luckily, if all things went well we would be out of there in a little less than an hour.

I lifted my head slightly to see Alice bouncing in my direction. I had grown quite found of the little pixie girl. She had always been really friendly towards me and would take to me when we had some down time. She seemed rather pleased with Carlisle's attentions towards me. Rosalie, on the other hand, did not seem quite as happy about it. While she was nice to me, she didn't seem to like the idea of me with Carlisle. I guess I can't win everyone over.

"Hey!" Alice said excitedly as she came to a stop in front of me.

"Hi," I managed to get out before taking another deep breath of air. I was starting to feel a little dizzy.

She gasped slightly and had this far off look on her face for moment, before she turned and yelled over her shoulder.

"Carlisle!"

I started to wonder why she was calling for him, when everything went dark.

**Carlisle's POV…**

It was eating me up inside that I couldn't say anything to Natasha. After that evening in the woods with Emmett, Jasper and Edward, we had come to an agreement of sorts. I was not allowed to say anything that was out of normal human observation.

This was growing exceedingly harder for me as each day passed. I began to notice a great deal of things. The dark circles forming under her eyes for one thing, her pale complexion for another, and the fact that she seemed to be wasting away before my very eyes.

Her scent hadn't improved one bit, it was actually getting worse. Her blood didn't have the same appeal to me as it had in the beginning, now it was getting to the point where it was almost like spoiled milk. This bothered me to no end, and I knew that if I could sleep I would be losing it over all of this.

I watched her out of the corner of my eye as she sat at the end of the stage. She did not look well at all. I was crawling out of my skin to go over to her and see what was wrong. But I restrained myself, because I knew that she would not be happy about it. She had made that clear a week ago, when we had a small fight.

Sighing heavily, I tore my gaze from her and turned back to the music in my hand. I was in the middle of perfecting my haunting/echoing voice for when I had to sing off-stage, when I heard Alice.

"Carlisle!" She called to me.

I whipped around in time to see Natasha swaying slightly before she fell over into Alice's arms. Alice caught her easily and was lowering her down to the ground.

It pained me to try and maintain a human pace as I raced over to them. I gave Alice one look as I tossed her my car keys and she was off in a flash.

Kneeling down at Natasha side, I pressed two fingers to her neck feeling for a pulse, which I found quickly. It was still thumping strongly, which was comforting.

I gazed down at her face, her cheeks were slightly sunken in and her parted lips were pale. I shook her slightly, calling her name.

After about five agonizing seconds, she slowly opened her eyes, blinking several times to focus on what she was seeing.

At this point the entire cast had gathered around us and Noah was kneeling on her other side, holding onto her hand tightly.

"Natasha?" he whispered softly in relief when she turned her head to look at him.

"Noah?" she responded before she turned to look at me. "Carlisle?"

I reached forward pressed the backs of my fingers against her forehead. Her skin was on fire. I knew my hands were cold so everything would feel warm, but I knew the difference from normal warm and fever hot.

"What am I doing laying on the ground?" she asked as she tried to sit up.

Both Noah and I placed a hand on each of her shoulders, pushing her back down.

"You passed out, girl!" he said as he took an offered jacket from another cast member and tucked it under her head.

"I did what?"

At that moment, Alice came up next to me, with my bag in her hands. I thanked her quietly, taking it from her. Setting it down next to me, I dug through it until I found my thermometer, which at this point was practically antique, but it did the job.

She rolled her eyes at me by opened her mouth anyway for me to stick the device under her tongue. I kept my cool hand on her head, knowing that it was going to bring her a little relief. After a minute or two, I pulled the thermometer out.

One hundred and three degrees. This was not a good sign.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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**Oh no! What going to happen next??? Leave comments and we will see sooner! :)**


	9. Chapter 9 Preview

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everyone! I am so sorry I am taking so long to update. I just wanted to let everyone know that I havent dropped off the face of the planet and have every intention of continuing with this story. It is just that time of the year. I have a bum foot and my mom has a bum arm, so it is a little more crazy than I had expected it to be. Anyway, here is a little part of Chapter 9 that I have done. I hope to finish it and get the rest of it up sometime tonight. Thank you to everyone who left me comments, they help me strive to do my best. **

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own _The Phantom of the Opera_ or anything associated with it.

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**Chapter Nine Preview**

**Carlisle's POV continued….**

"Please, take me home," she whispered softly as her fingers tightened around mine.

"You need to go to the hospital." I tried to remain firm as I gazed down into her big blue eyes.

She shook her head vigorously and pulled on my hand to pull me closer. I leaned down, my ear close to her lips.

"I have a secret. I hate doctors." I couldn't help myself but I laughed. "It's not funny. I can work with them, but I can't stand them looking at me."

"That is kind of hard now, my dear," I let the endearment slip from my lips before I realized I said it. "One is looking at you right now."

"But I like you. And I know you won't judge me."

I raised my head and caught Noah's eyes he looked at me. He lifted an eyebrow.

"I am going to take her home," I said, trying to get to my feet, but Natasha was not letting go of my hand.

I had Noah carry her out to my car. I could not trust myself to have her that close, even if she didn't smell as good. There was also the risk that she might start noticing other things about me. Too much had slipped already and I wouldn't chance to let her figure out more. I know that if she really thought about she would be able to figure out what I was. That was the last thing I wanted to deal with right now.

She fell asleep on the drive to her house and when we got there, her Grandmother was already outside waiting her us. This time, there was no way around it, as I picked her up into my arms. I cradled her close, her hot breath on my neck.

"Oh dear, dear," her grandma, Mrs. Daniels, muttered as we drew closer.

She quickly ushered me inside and up into Natasha's room. I laid her down on the soft blue blanket, allowing my fingers to linger on her cheek. She was still so very hot.

I stood silently in the corner, watching as her grandma was bustling around the room. She hardly paid any attention to me as she got Natasha ready for bed. Natasha was awake now, pressing her finger tips to her temples.

"What is going on?" she asked in a broken voice. "Why am I so hot?"

"You are very sick, dear." Mrs. Daniels gently tucked her into bed.

"I just remember waking up on the floor. How did I get home?" Natasha snuggled her face into her pillow.

"Dr. Cullen was very nice to take you home."

"Oh. Thank you," she whispered before falling back to sleep.

I stepped out from my corner to stand next to Mrs. Daniels. She turned watery light blue eyes to me, as she gently laid a hand on my sleeve.

"I should have known something was wrong," she said with a shake of her head.

"We all should have known," I agreed, turning to her. "I will stay with her tonight, Mrs. Daniels, with your permission. I would like to monitor her condition to make sure it doesn't worse."

"I know I won't be able to be much of use, as much as I would like to be. I appreciate whatever you can do for my granddaughter, Dr. Cullen. She is all I have left."

I smiled softly to her. "I will do what I can."

"Thank you. Can I offer you something? Coffee maybe, if you intend to stay up all night."

"No, thank you."

With a nod, she left me alone with Natasha, who rolled over in bed to look at me.

"Promise me, you won't take me to the hospital," she gently pleaded. "Just wait until morning, please!"

As much as I wanted to argue the point, I knew that it would be fruitless.

"I promise."

Closing her eyes, she nodded her head and fell sound asleep. I took the chair that was tucked over her desk and pulled it over to the side of her bed. Draping my coat over the back of the chair, I settled down for the night.

I watched for about an hour, as she tossed and turned, moaning softly in her sleep. When I could take it no more, I reached out and pressed the back of my fingers to her forehead.

TO BE CONTINUED....

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**I know it is short, but is it any good? lol**


	10. Chapter 9 Continued

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, here is the rest of Chapter 9! Hope you all like it! Happy Holidays!! **

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own _The Phantom of the Opera_ or anything associated with it.

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**Chapter Nine - Continued**

**Carlisle's POV continued….**

I stepped out from my corner to stand next to Mrs. Daniels. She turned watery light blue eyes to me, as she gently laid a hand on my sleeve.

"I should have known something was wrong," she said with a shake of her head.

"We all should have known," I agreed, turning to her. "I will stay with her tonight, Mrs. Daniels, with your permission. I would like to monitor her condition to make sure it doesn't worse."

"I know I won't be able to be much of use, as much as I would like to be. I appreciate whatever you can do for my granddaughter, Dr. Cullen. She is all I have left."

I smiled softly to her. "I will do what I can."

"Thank you. Can I offer you something? Coffee maybe, if you intend to stay up all night."

"No, thank you."

With a nod, she left me alone with Natasha, who rolled over in bed to look at me.

"Promise me, you won't take me to the hospital," she gently pleaded. "Just wait until morning, please!"

As much as I wanted to argue the point, I knew that it would be fruitless.

"I promise."

Closing her eyes, she nodded her head and fell sound asleep. I took the chair that was tucked over her desk and pulled it over to the side of her bed. Draping my coat over the back of the chair, I settled down for the night.

I watched for about an hour, as she tossed and turned, moaning softly in her sleep. When I could take it no more, I reached out and pressed the back of my fingers to her forehead.

If I thought she was hot before, she was even hotter now. I could tell that her fever was escalating to a very unsafe height. Raking a hand through my hair, I debated what to do. I knew I could get Mrs. Daniels to bring me ice water and a towel, but there was only so much good that could do. Besides, it would probably heat up too quickly.

So, I went to the dread plan b, which was probably not the smartest idea on my part, but I knew that it had to be done.

I rose from the chair, pulling off my sweater and rolled up the sleeves on the shirt underneath.

Natasha had rolled over so that she was almost pushed up against the wall. I sat down on the side of the bed and reaching out a gentle hand, stroked her heated cheek with a finger. She sighed softly into my touch, rolling back over again, and settling her whole cheek in my hand.

Each second that passed, all I could think about was how bad an idea this was. However, there was no way around it and no matter how much I tried to reason with myself, it was the only choice I had at the moment.

I stretched out on the bed next to her and gently pulled her so she rested against my side. Her head was nuzzled into the crook of my shoulder and I could feel her hot breath against my neck.

I felt her shudder at the first touch of my icy cold embrace, but quickly settled into it. She fell into a deeper and more comfortable sleep, as I pulled the blanket around her so I would be too cold for her.

I continued to stroke her cheek with a single finger as I gazed down at her now peaceful face.

She was beautiful with her dark eyelashes resting against her porcelain skin. I wondered what I had done in my long existence to be able to hold this angel in my arms.

For the first time in a long time, I was ashamed of myself, of what I was, of what I was capable of doing. The dull aching pain in my chest, where my heart would have been beating, made me feel completely hopeless. It was like I was standing on that cliff, as I had all those centuries ago, just wanting death. Even now, I am still a monster, the one thing that my father and than myself despised the most. I am a killer and it was something I had grappled with for a long time.

Of course, I had grown into myself over time. I was successful at what I did, I maintained an unreasonable amount of self-control, but now I felt the wall that I had built up around myself, crumbling down. I had learned to accept the things I could not change, I had built a family, but I was still alone.

After almost three centuries, I knew that I needed someone in my life. I found Edward and while he filled that void that was missing from my existence, he still was not what I needed. Edward understood me in ways I did not understand myself. In my own way, I felt like I had done right by him and by Rosalie and Emmett. It was their fates in my hands and immortality was the only option I could give them. Even Alice and Jasper had added something to my existence that I had never expected to find.

There were six of us now, which for a group of vampires was an exceedingly large number together in one place. But I was proud of them, of all of them. Each held a special place in my heart.

I looked down at Natasha again. Here was this single human that filled the final empty space in my long dead heart. I had tried to keep my distance from her, and while she may not know how much she means to me, no amount of strength I had would ever keep me away anymore.

I wanted to get into her head and understand her. I had thought of allowing Edward to come close, to come the hospital or something, to get near enough to her to hear her thoughts. But I soon realized how invasive that may be and I knew that Edward would not exactly be happy about using his gifts in that way. So, I resigned to leave it be for now.

Around four in the morning, her fever started to break and she cooled down significantly. While, it would have been a good idea then to get up from the bed, to let her go, I could not do it. I pulled the blanket around her some more.

Even though I was relieved that her fever had gone down, I was hoping to have some excuse to take her to the hospital in the morning. Now, it seemed like that was not going to happen.

Under no further conditions, I had to find out what was wrong with her. It was driving me crazy that I could not just figure it out on my own. No matter of reading that I had done, had lead me to any more conclusion. I needed facts and numbers, and without tests, I was not going to get them.

In the morning I was going to have to have a serious talk with her. I could not stand the suspense for much longer. One thing, I was absolutely certain about, was that this wasn't something common. Something was seriously wrong.

I spent the rest of the night, thinking. Thinking about what I was going to do come morning. I knew I was going to have to tell her sooner or later what I was. As much as it wasn't a good idea, probably the stupidest I had ever had. My family was going to kill me for that. However, there was no way around it. If there was one thing I was absolutely certain about, was that I wanted Natasha in my life. The only way I would be able to live with myself and to allow our relationship to grow, I could no longer keep secrets from her.

While it was a dangerous thing, to disclose my darkest secret and that of five other individuals, it was the right choice.

**Natasha's POV **

I shifted restlessly in my sleep. It felt like my head was resting on a cold hard rock. God only knew where that feeling had some from. I knew I was in my bed. That much I did remember.

I remembered Carlisle taking me home. I remembered Grandma helping me get ready for bed.

It was all very strange. My head was on a rock, my body was pushed up against it, and it was ice cold.

I shot up into a sitting position, clutching my blanket to my chest. My heart was pounding against my ribs. I pressed the heel of my hand to my head, it was pounding and I felt kind of dizzy from sitting up so fast.

"You should probably lay back down," said a velvety smooth voice from behind me.

I slowly turned my head and came nose to nose with Carlisle.

I gasped, "What are you doing here?"

"I was watching over you last night, to make sure that your condition didn't worsen. You still look quite pale."

My head was swimming. I knew I had a fever last night, but it still didn't justify why he was in my bed.

"I mean, what are you doing in my bed?"

He smiled, flashing his brilliant white teeth. "Your sleep was very fitful, I thought it might help."

I took a deep breath. "So, holding me helped?"

He just nodded.

Just then a thought hit me! He was the rock I was laying on moments ago. It was so strange. Over the weeks I had known Carlisle, there were certain things about his nature that were hard for me to go unnoticed. Day after day, the list was getting longer. This much I did know: he was pale white and ice cold, I had never seen him eat or drink anything; he never got tired, his eyes were the most unusual shade of hazel and gold and sometimes he moved at a pace that was impossible for most other people. And while I was thinking of it, I had never seen him go out in the sunlight.

I lifted my hand slowly and gently touched his cheek. His skin was cold, smooth and hard, like I was touching an ancient marble statue. His unusually colored eyes bored into my mine.

Then I asked the one question that came to mind, before I had a chance to stop myself.

"What are you?"

"Do you really want to know?" he asked in a soft voice as he took reached out a hand to cup my cheek.

I hesitated for a moment before answering. There was no going back now.

"Yes."

"I am a vampire."

TO BE CONTINUED…


	11. Chapter 10

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you everyone for the reviews!! I enjoy reading them so much; they really make my day! Here is the next chapter, sorry it took so long. **

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own _The Phantom of the Opera_ or anything associated with it.

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**Chapter Ten**

**Natasha's POV continued…**

"WHAT??" I screeched pulling away from him as if I had been burned. I jumped out of bed and pressed myself against the farthest wall. I held my hand to my chest and tried to even out my breathing.

The look of absolute rejection on Carlisle's face was enough to make my heart wrench.

This was not at all what I had been expecting. Maybe I had seen too many melodramatic movies in my life, but I was expecting something along the lines of "just a man" or "human". Anything that wasn't "vampire".

The word resonated in my head over and over. _Vampire, vampire._ Could it be true? Could they really exist? Obviously Carlisle believed he was, or maybe it was a cult or a delusion he lived under. Maybe that was why he was pale, maybe he thought if he went into the sun he would burst into flames.

Oh God! Were Alice and Rosalie in on this whole vampire delusion as well? If they were, it played into my theory about cults for sure. However, this would make Carlisle the leader of this whole vampire thing, which was just crazy.

My only experience with vampires was when I read Bram Stoker's _Dracula_ when I was a freshman in college. Did Carlisle think he was a reincarnation of the famous Count Dracula?

I really shouldn't let my imagination get away with me. There had to be some reasonable explanation for this. I had to calm myself down a little bit and just talk to him.

I looked at him as he sat silently at the edge of my bed, looking down at his feet and gripping the edge of the bed.

I stood against the wall for several minutes, neither of us moving. There were so many things I wanted to know, so many things I wanted to ask him. However, I was frozen in my place.

There was some depth of feeling that I did have for Carlisle. He had already done so much for me and I did have to admit that we were friends. Maybe even if he was what he claimed to be, I wasn't afraid of him. He had shown so much care towards me; I knew deep down that he would not hurt me.

I pushed off the wall, running a hand through my long hair. With slow careful steps, I walked over to him. I kneeled down in front of Carlisle. Reaching out with shaking hands I gently took his face between my hands. I lowered my head to look into his eyes.

"Natasha, I…" he started, his voice shaking.

"Shhh," I pressed a finger to his lips.

There was so much more I wanted to say to him and to ask him, it didn't seem like the moment anymore.

My reaction to his announcement seemed to hurt him more than I had ever intended it to be. His normally guarded expression was now torn but what I interrupted as regret and guilt.

I wanted to apologize for screaming, but I didn't know what to say or how to say it. So, I did the only thing I could think of.

Holding his gaze, I pressed my lips lightly to his. He tensed up for a moment, but then relaxed against my mouth. A hand snuck around the back of my head holding me to him.

While I still was concerned and worried about the fact that the man I was currently kissing could possible be a vampire, in that moment it didn't matter. It felt right, to have him so close.

He finally lifted his head and I took several deep swallows of air. His cool forehead was resting against mine, which was still slightly warm. Somehow I knew that once gold met blue everything would be alright, as we gazed into each others eyes. Maybe my fever was making me have hallucinations; maybe this wasn't real at all.

"How are you feeling?" he asked lamely after another moment of silence.

I reached up a hand again to touch his cheek.

"I hardly think that is the real question you want to ask me," I replied with a soft smile.

He closed his eyes for a moment, before looking at me again.

"I am what I am, Natasha, there is no way around it."

"And you are…" I paused. "a vampire?"

"Yes." The word came out more of a sigh than a word.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Prove it."

What else was I going to say? How was I to believe that Carlisle was some sort of mythological creature without some tangible proof?

"What would you like to know?" he asked, as he straightened and rose to his feet.

I sat back on my heels on the floor, gazing up at him. He stood tall and his figure was slightly imposing from my point of view.

"You don't eat," I whispered. It seemed like my brain had stopped working and I couldn't figure out what to say.

Carlisle knelt down in front of me before I could blink.

"I eat; just not human food."

I hesitated for a moment before asking, "Do you really drink blood?"

He smiled and I noticed that he didn't have any fangs. Fangs might have given him away sooner.

He leaned close; I could feel his cool breath against my cheek. I stiffened slightly, when he lightly nuzzled his nose behind my ear and then pressed his lips to my neck.

I couldn't move. I couldn't breath.

"Yes," he whispered. "You remember that first day at the hospital?" I just nodded silently. "I knew I had to stay away from you, but I couldn't. Your blood smelled so sweet. I have never wanted a human the way I wanted you."

He continued to kiss my neck. I gasped loudly when I felt the feather light graze of his teeth. My arms were numb hanging at my sides and my heart pounding wildly in my chest.

"But lucky for you…" He placed a final kiss to my neck before lifting his head. "I am a vegetarian."

I shook my head trying to clear it.

"How? Aren't humans your natural food source?" I asked.

"My family and I, we don't drink human blood, strictly animals. That is how we can cohabitate with humans."

"How can you be a doctor?" I seemed to have found my voice and was asking whatever came to mind first.

He sat back, leaning against the side of my bed, while I sat cross legged in front of him.

"It has taken me a long time to build up my self-control that the smell of blood does not affect me at all."

I started picking at the fuzzies in my carpet. "But I tempt you?"

"More than I would like to admit."

I just nodded.

We talked for a long time, just sitting there on the floor of my room. He answered whatever questions I might have. He showed me how fast he could move, if I even blinked he would be somewhere else entirely. He also ground one of my pencils to dust with his bare hands.

I began to believe that he was what he claimed. It seemed that vampire or not, he was still a great person. While he might have been tempted to kill me, the thought of that still scared me a little, he cared about me. He watched over me in my sleep and he was consistently concerned about my health.

"Are you beginning to believe me?" he asked softly after a minute of silence.

"I think I do."

He turned his head at look at my window. I noticed the stream of light coming in from under the heavy curtains.

"Well," he said as he rose to his feet. "If you don't believe me now, you will."

He pushed the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows as he walked over to the window. There was a slight hesitation before he threw the curtains open, letting in the sunlight that was so rare in Forks.

I shot to my feet, thinking that he was going to burst into flames or something. Sunlight was the one myth that we hadn't tackled yet.

But there were no flames. He slowly turned around and I was so struck that once again I couldn't comprehend what I was seeing.

His face and bare arms were glittering like they were covered in millions of tiny diamonds. He was beautiful.

My feet moved of their own accord and I walked into his waiting arms. I raised my head against his hard chest as his arms circled around my waist.

"You won't hurt me?"

"Never."

I close my eyes and thought for a moment. "What are we?" I asked softly.

A slow rumble erupted from low in his chest. "I think we are a couple now, darling, if you will have me." I liked the idea of that. "But let me help you."

I lifted my head. "Of course I will, but how will you help me?"

He kissed my forehead. "You are sick, my dear. You need to go to the hospital." I went to interrupt him, but he stopped me. "Wait, let me finished. Now that you know my secret, I have to tell you. Your blood doesn't smell the same to me anymore. It has been driving me crazy for almost two weeks now. I don't want to see you hurt because I couldn't tell you something that might help you."

I nodded my head taking in this information. Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend would be a good thing.

He was right; I did probably need to see a doctor. My fever had gone down significantly, but now I hurt all over. I swore that if it was not one thing it was another.

After allowing me a few minutes to prepare myself, Carlisle accompanied my downstairs. He was holding my hand when we walked into the kitchen. Grandma was pleased to see me up and about. She also was very happy that Carlisle and I seemed closer.

**Carlisle's POV**

After I had made sure that Natasha had breakfast, I called the hospital. I have them the heads up that Natasha was not going to be working that day and that I was going to be late. However, once I got to the hospital I was only going to treat Natasha.

I needed to figure this mystery out. Now, I have told her I was a vampire, I was able to really get her to get some tests done. Even if it was just a cold or the flu or something like that, it would make me feel better to know.

Natasha had pulled me aside and made me promise to not tell her grandma about going to the hospital. She didn't want her to worry. I agreed if only to save Mrs. Daniels some anxiety.

Seven hours later, after much poking and prodding, after this scan and that test, I slowly coming to some conclusion.

Natasha and I were in my office. She was sound asleep on the couch I had in the corner, while I was seated at my desk. All the results were sitting in front of me as I looked them over for at least the twentieth time.

It just didn't add up. All the numbers and facts I could possibly want, the kind of information I had been craving for, was right there in front of me. However, the one conclusion that I kept coming to terrified me more than anything else.

I pushed away from the desk and went over to the bookcase that was up against one wall. It was filled with different books and medical journals. Scanning all the titles I came to the one I wanted and pulled the thick volume out.

Returning to my chair, I placed the book on the desk and started to flip through it. After about ten minutes of searching, I finally found what I was looking for. The diagnosis I was looking for was right there in front of me, whether I wanted to admit it or not.

With a heavy sigh, I looked over at Natasha again. Poor girl, I had put her through a lot today between vampire information and medical tests.

Gathering what information I needed, I slipped out of my office to find Dr. King for a second opinion. If my theories and conclusions were either right or wrong, he was the man to tell me. For what I had found so far, this was not exactly within my extensive repertoire, as I had only started dabbling in it about five years ago.

Dr. King confirmed my suspicions, much to my dismay. I racked my head through my hair as I went back to my office. I had no idea of how I was going to break this news to Natasha. This was going to be the absolute last thing she would have expected and, in truth, it was the last thing I had been expecting. There was no way around it now; the truth was in the facts.

I slowly opened my office door and slipped inside, hoping to not wake Natasha if she was still sleeping. She wasn't and was lounging on the couch, staring at the ceiling. She looked at me when I entered the door and a bright smile lit up her face.

It pained me to have to tell her this news, but at least it was going to come from a friend rather than a stranger.

"So what's up Doc?" Her musical laughter filled my ears and I couldn't help laughing myself. "Never thought I would actually be able to use that in conversation," she said.

I walked over to her, pulling the visitor's chair over to her side. I sat down and looked at her, still not answering her question.

The mirth in her eyes and expression slowly died away as she sat up to face me.

"What's wrong, Carlisle?" she asked with all seriousness.

Reaching out, I took her hands in mine. "I have confirmed it with another doctor whose opinion I highly respect. We have both agreed on the same diagnosis."

I felt her fingers tighten around mine. I didn't want to frighten her, but there really was no easy way to tell her.

"What is it?"

"Natasha… my darling…" I paused; even I was having a hard time getting the words out. "It's cancer. Leukemia."

Once I saw two fat tears running down from her big blue eyes, I pulled her up on my lap. With my arms around her waist and hers around my shoulders, she buried her face in the crook of my neck. Taking one hand, I rubbed her back soothingly as she sobbed out her grief on my shoulder.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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	12. Chapter 11

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: A new chapter for the new year! Thank you for all the reviews! Keep it up please! I will be working on more today, so I should have a new chapter up either later today or sometime this evening. **

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own _The Phantom of the Opera_ or anything associated with it.

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**Chapter Eleven**

**Carlisle's POV continued…**

I could feel the wet spot she was leaving on my shirt from her tears. It tore me up to see her like this, weak and vulnerable. I tried my best to comfort her in whatever way I could, but I didn't know what to do. Sickness and disease were two things I dealt with on a daily basis, though nothing could have prepared me for this.

I rocked her gently back and forth, whispering soothing words in her ear. Her sobs slowly subsided until she was just whimpering softly.

She lifted her face to look at me. Using the pads of my thumbs, I wiped the tears away from her cheeks.

She shook her head frantically, gasping and pressing her fist to her mouth. "We can't tell anyone. You have to promise me, you won't tell anyone. I couldn't do that to Noah and Grandma. Oh God, Grandma!"

I placed a free hand behind her head and pressed her head back down on my shoulder. Her body was still very rigid.

"It will be okay. But they deserve to know, Natasha, especially your grandmother. You can't keep this from them."

"No!" she yelled as she tore herself from my arms and backed up against a wall.

This was the second time today that she had done this to me. However, I had enough sense this time not to be offended. I slowly stood from my feet.

She had her arms wrapped tightly around her middle as she slowly slid down to the floor. I knelt down in front of her.

I reached out my hand, but stopped short when she snapped at me. "Don't touch me!" she said through clenched teeth. She wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her head on them.

The silence between us was strained was she rocked back and forth. I was waiting for her to speak. It seemed unwise for me to continue to talk.

Finally she raised her head, the tears still streaming from her eyes. It broke my dead heart to see her like this, but I used what will power I had to hold still.

"Am I going to die, Carlisle?" she whispered brokenly.

I sighed, "Oh, darling."

I wasn't Alice. I couldn't see what was going to happen, but I had the facts. Whatever guess I might predict as to Natasha's future would be based on those facts.

Clearing my throat, I spoke again, "We caught it early on. With sufficient treatment, I am sure you will be alright."

She visibly relaxed. "I can't leave Grandma. I am all she has left. My father…" she stopped choking on her sob.

I moved slightly closer, still not touching her. "Tell me about your father."

Using the sleeve of her shirt, she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"He was an only child and was a complete momma's boy. It was something my mother had to accept especially when my grandma moved in with us when my grandfather passed away. He was a doctor. He worked at Forks hospital his whole career; he never had aspirations for big places and better things." She had a dreamy far off look on her face.

"You really admire your father?"

"Yes, very much. We were very close all my life. I was a daddy's girl. He was my best friend and we did everything together. I loved him so much. He passed away when I was sixteen."

I vaguely remembered my own father; he was the brimstone and hellfire type. I didn't see him again after I was turned. A part of me felt like I had disappointed him, by becoming the one thing he had hated the most.

"What did he die of?"

She closed her eyes tight. The word slipped from her lips as if she hadn't said it, "Cancer."

It all made sense to me know; why she was so afraid and why she had thought she was going to die. After seeing her father go through something like would naturally make her more apprehensive about her own condition.

"Natasha, look at me," I said softly, but firmly. She slowly raised her eyes to mine. "I will do anything and everything in my power to help you. I promise to do whatever it takes to make you better."

She blinked back more tears. "Then we can't tell Noah or Grandma."

"Natasha…" I started.

"Listen to me, Carlisle," she broke in. "I don't want their sympathy and I don't want them to worry about me. I just want my life to go on like it has been. I will do whatever you think is best for me, as my doctor, which it seems like you are now."

I didn't know what to say to that. In its own twisted way, it made sense to me.

Before I had a change to speak again there was a soft knock at the door, so faint that I was almost sure Natasha didn't hear it. She gave me a confused look when I rose to my feet and headed to the door.

I cracked it slightly to see who was on the other side.

"Carlisle, I need to speak with you, now," a voice said, the instant the door was open.

I just very much surprised to see Jasper there. He avoided the hospital at all costs. He own self-control no where near the level of mine. Being around humans was hard enough for him at times, but the idea of having actually human blood around would probably be enough to make him snap.

I thought briefly that Natasha was in the room and that the smell of her might tempt him. But then I remembered the fact that her blood, at this point, was far from appealing even to the most desperate vampire.

Jasper's strange and unique gift that he was given when he turned into a vampire was being able to feel and experience the emotions of those around him. Also, he was able to control and manipulate other people's emotions are well. While such a gift could be a great asset it was, like many gifts, also a curse. There was no hiding any feelings from Jasper.

Holding the door open more, I ushered Jasper inside. He stopped suddenly with a jolt that almost brought him to his knees. I realized then that Natasha's pained and conflicting emotions were taking their toll on him.

Going over to him, I placed a steadying hand on his shoulder.

**Natasha's POV**

I couldn't believe what was happening to me. I was so happy yesterday and even earlier that day. But now to hear something that I was not prepared to receive was a whole other issue. I was twenty-three years old; I had relatively good health all my life, so this had come out of left field. I knew that a person my age could get leukemia, since I remembered reading it somewhere in my nursing training.

I didn't need Carlisle to explain to me what was wrong with me. I knew full well the extent of what this condition meant and it scared me. I wasn't prepared to deal with something like this. Cancer had already taken my father from me. I think it was some sick twist of fate that I would contract a different variation of the same disease.

As I told Carlisle about my father, I realized how much I really did miss him. He meant the world to me, more so that my own mother. I strived everyday to do my best, hoping that what I was doing would have made him proud. That was all I ever wanted was for my father to be proud of me.

One thing I was going to be very adamant about, whether Carlisle liked it or not, was not telling Noah or Grandma about my cancer. Especially not Grandma as she had already lost her only son to almost the same causes. I couldn't do that to the sweetest woman I have ever known. I had come home so I could take care of her, not to have her take care of me.

Noah, on the other hand, was a completely different problem. He was like a brother to me, and I know that he would be crazy over protective about the whole thing. I knew that it would drive me crazy after only a few days. Also, I still wanted to do the show. If Noah knew, I was sure he would bow out for me. That was the last thing I wanted to do. It was only in a few more weeks and not even cancer was going to keep me away from something I loved so much.

I gave Carlisle a funny look when he suddenly rose to his feet and moved to the door. I hadn't heard a knock or anything, but may there was and only Carlisle could hear it.

I sighed heavily, vampires confused me. It was weird enough that they were vampires to begin with, but then almost not vampires at the same time. I mean, who had ever heard of a "vegetarian" vampire? It seemed almost like an oxymoron to me. I guess it just proved that a person can be whatever they want to be, for good or for bad. It was obvious that Carlisle and his family had chosen to be good as they had a high degree of respect for mortality and humans in general.

I closing my eyes, I started to think about it a little more. Carlisle had admitted he wanted to bite me. That thought brought about another series of questions which I had yet to voice. Lets just hypothetically that he had bitten me that day at the hospital, would I have become a vampire like him or would I be died? Neither option seemed quite appealing at the moment, until I realized the outcome of one of those options.

If Carlisle had bitten me, I had become a vampire and therefore, if I understood it correctly, become immune to all illness and disease then I wouldn't be sitting here with cancerous cells running through my veins.

No, I couldn't think like that, at all. It was a flight of fancy to hope that I wasn't in the situation I was currently in, but I was and there was no way around that.

I lifted my head slightly, peering over the tops of my knees when I heard another set of footsteps enter the room. My eyes found the intense golden glare of Jasper as he stood stone-still in the middle of the room.

He was tall, though he was probably an inch or two shorter than Carlisle. He had the same pale white complexion and his honey blond hair had fallen slightly forward over his golden eyes. While I knew they were not directly related at all, there were certain traits that both shared that without a mother in the picture, one might assume that they were in fact related.

I had briefly met Jasper before, when he had come to rehearsal to see Alice. However, we never spoke to each other. Even then he had glared at me also, for reasons I was not aware of. Now, I sort of understood it.

He turned quickly to Carlisle and started speaking so fast that I could not catch a word of it. It just sounded like a soft buzzing noise. I just sat there watching them argue as they occasionally gestured in my direction. That was enough for me to realize, they were most likely arguing about me; for what reason I was unsure.

I started to feel a little self-conscious and anxious, wondering what they were saying about me. Jasper sent a quick glance in my direction and I suddenly felt very calm and almost serene, which was very weird.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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**Tell me what you think, please! :)**


	13. Chapter 12

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hopefully this chapter is not as dark and sad as the last few have been. I did try to lighten it up a bit. Hope it works! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! I love them all so much!! :)**

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own _The Phantom of the Opera_ or anything associated with it.

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**Chapter Twelve**

**Natasha's POV continued…**

While I couldn't explain this new wave of emotions, I also couldn't explain anything I had felt in the last thirty-six hours. The past day and a half all seemed like a dream to me when I looked back at it. Correction it was more of a nightmare than a dream.

I had woken up yesterday morning as an average girl, at least in my mind. Now, the hot doctor I had a crush on was my boyfriend… and a vampire. I also now had a secret that I was going to have to keep from two of the most important people in my life. This was not going to be easy or fun.

However, I had to stay positive. Optimism was a key. I glanced up at Carlisle, his handsome face calm and colleted as he listened to Jasper. If anyone had told me before I had moved home that I would be in a relationship with a man like him, I would have called them crazy.

He seemed deep in thought as he pressed his fingers to his temples. There was a slight pause, before Carlisle started what I assumed were directions to Jasper. Jasper rigidly nodded his assent as Carlisle fished his keys out of his pocket and handed them to him.

Once Jasper had disappeared out the door again, Carlisle returned to my side. I had pushed off the floor, but still stood rooted to my place. Moving didn't seem like such a good idea, one because my legs ached terribly and two because the idea of two vampires was scarier than one.

"Natasha, Jasper is bringing my car around. He is going to bring you to my house. I want you to stay there until I arrive. Do you understand?" He had an authoritative tone that I am sure he had used on other despondent patients before.

"Why?" I asked simply.

"Unless you want to have an extended stay at the hospital, I suggested you go with Jasper." He smiled gently, the corners of his eyes turning up slightly.

I opened my mouth to protest further. I needed to get home before Grandma started to worry about me. However, Carlisle stopped me before I could say anything else.

"I will take care of all the details. I promise I will explain everything when we are both at the house. There is no need to worry about anything. I will deal with all the details here and I will call your grandmother. I won't tell her anything to make her worry."

How could I argue with that? So, I played my last card hoping it would work.

"But Jasper doesn't like me," I said with a pout.

Carlisle just chuckled slightly, taking my face between his cool hands. He softly touched my lips with his before pressing his forehead against mine.

"Jasper doesn't hate you. He is just very cautious around people he doesn't know very well. Besides, you are probably the safest human for him to be around. I also know that you are trying to get out of this. Trust me, darling, please. I know what I am doing."

"I do trust you," I started, "I am just questioning your judgment about all of this."

His eyes locked with mine for an intense moment. "I have been a doctor since before your grandmother was born. I think my judgment is just fine."

Damn, that was another thing I never asked him about. I had forgotten about the part of the vampire myth that said that they were immortal.

"How old are you?" I whispered, barely getting the words out.

He ran a hand across my cheek and into my hair. "Twenty-three, though I tell people I am twenty-six."

"How long have you been twenty-three?"

"Awhile."

"How long is 'awhile'?"

"I can't really remember. It happened sometime in the 1640's, which would make me about three hundred and eighty three, give or take a couple of years." He tone remained completely natural.

My knees buckled underneath me and I would have fallen if Carlisle hadn't caught me around the waist.

"Three hundred…" I stuttered trying to fine what I really wanted to say.

It was all too much to handle. Today was probably the longest day of my life, like ever. It seemed like it was ages ago that I woke up this morning. I had gotten so much information in a short period of time.

"I'm sorry, darling," he muttered against my hair. "You have been through so much today. I really should stop stringing all this stuff on to you. We should get you outside, I am sure Jasper is waiting for you."

He pulled away from me slightly, making sure I was steady on my feet before taking hold of my hand and leading me outside. Jasper was indeed waiting for us, leaning against Carlisle's Mercedes. His expression did soften slightly for when I had seen him only minutes ago.

Carlisle helped me into the car and with a final good-bye, Jasper and I were off. We sped along in silence, as I gazed out the window that the scenery that was zipping by.

After about five minutes, Jasper cleared his throat, drawing my attention from the window. I looked over at his profile, which was illuminated from the lights on the dashboard.

"I'm sorry," he said simply, never taking his eyes from the road.

"For what?" I asked.

"For barging in the way I did. I was just concerned and I didn't realize that you would be there. It was rude of me to argue with Carlisle in front of you, especially when you couldn't understand us," he said calmly.

For the first time, I noticed the slight southern accent to his voice, which was interesting, because Alice too had a very minimal accent that was similar. Rosalie definitely had a New York accent and Carlisle's words always had a little British ring to them. It was an interesting mix of sounds from a single family. I had my voice teacher in high school to thank for being able to pick all those out.

I hadn't put much thought into what Jasper and Carlisle could have possibly said to each other. It must have been a private conversation if they were aware that I couldn't understand. There were too many other things going on in my head to worry about what they were saying anyway.

"I accept. Though, I don't think there is really anything to apologize for."

He let out a heavy sigh and seemed to visibly relax. "Thank you. I also needed to find a way to break the tension in this car. It was getting stifling."

Tension? I didn't realize there was tension.

"What do you mean?"

"You were sending off some strong nervous waves and it was starting to make me dizzy."

If it was one thing about vampires, which I have already noticed from having spent an entire day with one, is that they tend to talk in circles. At this point, my head was already so confused, that Jasper's talk of 'waves' was enough to make me want to scream.

"Waves?"

"Oh dear me!" he exclaimed. "You don't know do you? Carlisle didn't explain what I do, did he?" Before I could get a word in, he kept talking. "I can feel other people's emotions like they were my own and as a result I can manipulate those same emotions."

If I wasn't confused before, I was now. The idea that vampires had special talents, never really occurred to me. Obviously, these people, vampires, whatever they were at this point, were nothing like I had never experienced before. It was quite clear that all the myths and legends about them were completely false and not based on any sort of reality.

My thoughts slowly came to an inconclusive end when I started to feel the same calm feeling I had felt back in Carlisle's office. I sent a quick look in Jasper's direction and found him smiling to himself. Then in almost an instant I was giddy, like I hadn't gotten any sleep in three days and was hyped up on caffeine.

"Are you doing that?"

Jasper laughed slightly. "Yes. Would you prefer that I stopped?"

I was practically crawling out of my skin. "Yes, please."

Then I went back to calm. Calm was better than anything else.

We had just pulled into a hidden driveway and were driving up into the woods. I closed my eyes, resting my head against the headrest and promptly fell asleep from the sway of the car.

I wasn't quite sure how long I had been asleep, for when I woke up it was still dark outside.

Opening my eyes, I noticed that I was no longer in the car but inside. I was laying on probably the most comfortable pull-out couch known to man. Without moving, I glanced around the room, lucky for me I was facing outwards, since I was sleeping the widthwise.

The couch I was on was placed against the far wall facing the door. Floor to ceiling bookcases filled the entire berth of the wall to my left. A large desk was situated caddy corner facing into the room. The soft light of single lamp glowed on the desk. There was no mistaking the blonde figure behind the desk, his nose in a book and an intense look on his face.

Sitting up I stretched out my arms and looking down, I noticed I was in the same clothes that I had been wearing for almost twenty-four hours. I seriously needed to bath.

Carlisle looked up from his book, when he noticed that I was awake. Picking up a bag from the side of his desk, which I recognized as mine, but didn't know why it was there, he came over to me.

"Here are some of your things. I took the liberty of picking them up for you. I will explain everything shortly. Why don't you go freshen up and I will meet you downstairs. Bathroom is the third door on the left." He handed me the bag and was gone before I could question him on how he had gotten my stuff.

Standing up, I tried to stretch a little more, hoping to relieve some of the ache from my bones, but to no avail. So, I took my bag and headed to the bathroom.

Pulling my clothes out, I inspected them, wondering what in the world would have possessed whoever packed this bag to give me these. It was the same outfit I had worn to the audition; jean skirt, single-sleeved blue shirt and purple snake heels.

Left to my own wondering, I turned on the shower and stepped into the hot spray. I allowed myself to relax as the hot water pelted my neck and shoulders. Not wanting to leave Carlisle waiting, I quickly washed my hair.

In about fifteen minutes, I was done and ready. I pulled my damp hair back with a hair-tie and look a final look in the mirror. Having my found no make-up in my bag, I was without, but it wasn't so bad.

Turning around, I saw that my tattoo stood out as bright as day. Granted, this was the reason I had bought the shirt in the first place, but now it felt awkward. The tattoo was a personal choice and it held deep meaning for me. I always kept it covered up at work and around Grandma, who liked the symbolism of it, but didn't necessarily want to see it all the time.

I knew that Carlisle had seen it that first day at auditions, but he never said anything about it to me. Now, that it was once again showcased for everyone to see, I was going to have to explain it to him and hope that he understood.

Once, I had pulled on my heels, I stuffed my old clothes back in the bag. I deposited back into the room I was in before, which I assumed was Carlisle's study, and headed downstairs.

The house was silent until I reached the top of the stairs and I heard the soft sounds of piano music coming from below. Going down the stairs, I noticed Carlisle waiting there for me. A bright smile broke out on his face when he saw me. Taking my hand, he kissed the top of it, before tucking my hand into the crook of his elbow.

He led me into the next room, which was a spacious living room from my estimations. I saw another vampire sitting behind the piano which was in one corner. He stopped playing and lifted his bronze head suddenly when I entered the room. We locked eyes for a moment, before he shifted slightly to look at Carlisle.

This must be Edward, since he was the only member of the family I had yet to formally meet. I had first heard about him from Alice, when she had mentioned his name at rehearsal and then from Carlisle earlier that morning, when he was telling me about his family.

Carlisle nodded his head towards Edward, who went back to the piano. He started to play a new song, which would have been hard for me not to recognize.

Sending me a wicked smile, Carlisle twirled me around before pulled me against his cold hard chest. His one hand was pressed firmly against my lower back and his other gently cupped mine. In return, I placed my left hand on his shoulder. Bringing his lips close to my ear, he softly started to sing the words to me as we danced back and forth in time with the music.

_Oh, my love, my darling  
__I've hungered for your touch  
__A long, lonely time  
__  
__And time goes by so slowly  
__And time can do so much  
__Are you still mine?_

_I need your love  
__I need your love  
__God speed your love to me*_

My fingers tighten against his shoulder as I felt the tears beginning to well up in my eyes.

TO BE CONTINUED…

*Unchained Melody – The Righteous Brothers

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**Let me know what you think, please! :) It makes my day!**


	14. Chapter 13

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everyone! Sorry, I have taken so long to update. I was struggling with where I wanted to go with this story. But I got it all figured out now. Yay! Thank you for all the wonderful comments, I enjoy reading them all so much!! Keep it up please! **

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own _The Phantom of the Opera_ or anything associated with it.

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**Chapter Thirteen**

**Carlisle's POV…**

I felt her fingers digging in my shoulders as I continued to sing to her. I wrapped my other arm around her waist, pulling her closer. I think I was beginning to enjoy having her in my arms a little too much. I hoped I wasn't too cold for her when she shivered against me.

As the song came to an end, Edward discreetly slipped from the room, but I mentally urged him to stay near. I had bribed him to listen into Natasha's thoughts for the evening. If any of what I was going to tell her that night to actually work, I needed to know what she really thought of it, not just what she might tell me. I had promised to help her with everything; having the reassurance that she was going to cooperate would greatly put my mind at ease.

She looked up at me with those big curious eyes, probably wondering what in the world I was doing as I wrapped my arms around her hips. I lifted her effortlessly off the ground so that her face with even with mine. The soft gasp that escaped from her when I pressed my lips against the soft skin behind her ear, sent shivers through me.

Since I had met Natasha, I had often wondered how I could have walked this planet for more than three and a half centuries without knowing this feeling. That feeling where a simple smile was enough to make you burst with joy. Somewhere in all that time, I must have done something right. It even allowed me to thank my immortality for allowing me to exist this long.

I trailed my lips allow her jaw, planting small kisses as I went. Teasing her when I barely skimmed my lips over hers. I chuckled softly when I felt her fingers fist into my hair.

"Carlisle…" My name passed from her soft lips a cross between an irritated groan and a desperate plea.

"Yes?" I whispered before I pressed my mouth to her neck, feeling her heart pounding.

Every vampire instinct that I had fought so long to subdue was coming back to me. The venom was pooling in my mouth. I couldn't, I wouldn't act upon that desire, no matter strong it was or how much I wanted it. Biting her wasn't an option; it never was, especially when there was hope left.

I took the three steps backwards until I was up against the couch. I slowly placed Natasha back on her feet for a brief moment, while I settled down then pulled her down so she was next to me.

She still had a slightly dazed look on her face that I found completely enchanting. After I tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear, I trailed my fingers softly against her cheek, then down her neck to her shoulder. I traced the outline on the little green leaf on the top of her shoulder.

"Do you want to see the whole thing?" she asked quietly.

I nodded my head silently. She turned around and gathering her hair she pulled it over her other shoulder. I was once more greeted with the sight of the red hibiscus and two purple flowers. My fingers softly traveled over the images causing her to shutter.

"How long have you had this?" I asked.

"Almost four years. I got it after my mother died."

It had never really crossed my mind to ask Natasha about her parents, since she lived with her grandmother. While we were, technically, the same age, she felt so much younger than I was and it was hard for me to think that both of her parents were dead.

Natasha just had continued talking without my prompting.

"I wanted a way to remember her and my father, to have something I would carry with me forever. However, I didn't want something that screamed memorial. No hearts with banners, portraits or religious quotes. I wanted a symbol." She reached back and lightly touched the larger flower. "Hibiscuses live for only a day. They bloom in the morning, but close at sunset, shrivel up and fall off. Sort of like life, how short it can be, but how beautiful it is. Then the purple flowers are one for each parent. It's hardly noticeable but if you look closely on the leaf of each, you can see their names."

I leaned in closer and sure enough they were there. On the top leaf was inscribed the name "Michael" and on the lower one "Alexandria".

It was touching to understand why she had them and what they really meant to her. I pressed my lips softly to her shoulder.

I knew I was putting off the inevitable, but we really needed to figure out what we were going to do. I had my plan, but I had to know if Natasha was going to go along with it.

"You are probably wondering, why I wanted you here," I started slowly. When she nodded and turned back around to listen to me, I continued. "I was trying to keep with your wish to not remain at the hospital, because of it, things will be more difficult. But before I get into all of that, how are you feeling?"

She sighed slightly. "Better. I am less dizzy than I was. I am a little warm, but nothing too bad I don't think." The grumbling of her stomach stopped her mid-sentence. "But it would seem that I am hungry too."

I grinned. "Why don't we continue this conversation, while we get you something to eat?"

I stood and offered her my hand. She smiled back at me and took my hand.

I led her into the kitchen, the one room in the house that had no practical use. It was there as a pretense that we needed it like other humans.

I had her sit on one of the barstool on the island while I went about preparing something for her to eat. While she had been asleep I had sent Alice out to pick up some things, known that Natasha was going to have to eat eventually. As being that we don't eat, there was literally nothing in the house.

"Since when do vampires cook?" she asked as she leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand.

Pulling a carton of eggs out of the refrigerator, I responded, "When you have all the time in the world, you pick up new hobbies. Not that cooking is a useful hobby for me. But it let me do things with my hands and helped to clear my mind."

I cracked two eggs into a hot pan, listening as they sizzled.

"If I get sick from uncooked eggs, I won't blame you." She laughed. "Since, I am sure you have never tasted your own cooking."

The silence between us was comfortable as she watched me finished her meal. Laying a plate of eggs and toast in front of her, she dug in with fervor.

"So," she started, taking a bite of toast. "Are you going to tell me why I am here now?"

"If you would like." She nodded, still eating. "You said you didn't want to stay at the hospital and I could not think of any other place for you to go but here. You have to understand, Natasha, that I will do everything and anything for you. I will do my best to try and fulfill your wishes, whether or not I agree with them. You have to trust me."

"I do."

"Before I get into the plan I have in mind, you have to tell me what you want. This is your life and I am not going to dictate what you can or cannot do," I explained.

She swallowed the last bite of her food. "Like I said before, I don't want to worry Grandma. I know she deserves to know what is going on with me, but I can't put her through this again, especially after she lost my father. The only reason I don't want to tell Noah is because he will drive me nuts. I won't be able to blink without him thinking something is wrong. Besides, I still want to do the show. It is the one of the very few things I really enjoy and I don't want to give that up."

I nodded in agreement. All the nights at rehearsal, I saw the passion she had for singing and performing. Who was I to deny her something that was going to make her happy?

"If performing is something that is going to stay in the program, than a lot of other things will have to change."

Then I launched into my full plan, which I had run through with my family. For the most part, I had gotten their full support. Rosalie and Edward were a little more hesitant than the others. However, I think they agreed out of my feelings rather than for her.

I explained to her some of the treatment options, most of which she was already familiar with. This made my job a little easier so it wasn't nearly as awkward as I had expected it to be.

We spent a good two full hours going through all the details before we came to any decisive conclusions.

One of which was that I was going to treat her in the privacy of my home. She was going to drastically cut down on the work she did at the hospital to only once or twice a week, just because she needed a paycheck to bring home to prove to her Grandmother that she was working. This was essential for this crazy charade we were going to endeavor to pursue.

The days that she was not working, but her grandmother thinks she is, she would be spending the day at my house for treatments. This way, even if I couldn't be there, someone would be. That was one of the perks of having such a large family.

This would allow her to have the entire day to recuperate and relax before rehearsal in the evening.

Her eyes started drooping again near the end of our conversation. It seemed almost too easy that we agreed to all these extreme conditions. However, we did, which made thing easier for the both of us.

"Tired?" I asked softly.

She nodded her head slightly. "What time is it?"

I glanced out the window. The sun was just beginning to rise.

"About 6am."

"Wow! My sleeping schedule is getting all messed up."

I moved to stand in front of her, kissing her softly on the forehead.

"The more you rest, the better you will feel," I rationalized.

Leaning forward, Natasha rested her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her once more, before carrying her upstairs to the bed I had set-up in my study.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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**There is it! I hope it makes sense to everyone, let me know if it doesn't!**


	15. Chapter 14

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I just want to thank everyone so much for reading my story. I have over 100 reviews now, which is crazy for me to believe!! Keep it up, I love hearing what you all have to think about my story. So, here is the new part. Sorry it took so long. I am back at school and I don't have as much time as I would like to work on this story. However, I am not going to give up until it is over. So no worries.

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own _The Phantom of the Opera_ or anything associated with it.

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**Chapter Fourteen**

**Natasha's POV…**

The first two weeks of chemo felt like the longest two weeks of my entire life. I was convinced it was my own personal form of hell. Nothing could have ever prepared me to feel this way, physically and mentally. I wanted to believe that this was the best. That was hard to do when almost anything I ate didn't want to stay in my stomach for long.

There were days I didn't want to get out of bed; the pain being too much to handle. I had convinced my self that I didn't want this to take over my life. I wanted to keep on fighting and living. If that meant enduring weeks, possibly months, of sickness to have years of happiness, then I was going to do it.

Carlisle had become a constant rock in my life. I had become dependent on his presence and his care to get through this all. If it wasn't for him, I was pretty certain I would have given up. But he was there for me in almost every capacity he could be.

In those two weeks alone, I slowly came to a realization about my depth of feeling for Carlisle. I wasn't about to admit I was in love, at least not yet. I did care for him … a lot. I respected his instincts and his intellect. The very sound of his voice could easily make me melt. I had also grown to enjoy the feeling of his cold hands on my skin. It didn't shock me anymore the way it first had. Now, it was a comfort.

I would be forever in his debt for this as well as to his family. Since I had been spending practically everyday at his house, it was hard to avoid them. I soon became very aware of them all and their interesting family dynamic. While they were technically not a "real" family, they sure acted like they were.

Sometimes I wondered what it would have been like to have had siblings. To have always have someone there I could talk to or to hang out with. I began to see and experience this by spending time with the Cullens. The particulars of each personality were different and distinct in their own ways. It was interesting to see how they all melded together.

Carlisle seemed very happy when I began to seriously interact with his "children". A very fatherly response on his part, I would have to say. He also wanted me to know them and understand them. Them meaning vampires in general as well as them as people. Carlisle seemed quite okay with having me understand everything there was to understand. He trusted me not to say anything to anyone about them. Besides whom was I going to tell any way? The only people were Grandma and Noah, both of whom would think that I would need to be locked up if I started talking about vampires.

I had the opportunity to get to know Emmett better. Nothing ever seemed to bother him. And despite his large size he was gentle and sweet, almost like a teddy bear. I was never much into sports, being a theater person, however Emmett quickly amended that quality within me. We soon began having debates over calls made during football games we would watch on TV.

Alice would regularly spend time with me. God, that girl loved to talk and her happy moods were infectious. Nothing was ever wrong for Alice and it helped keep me in a happy frame of mind whenever I was around her. I learned that she too had a special talent. She would have visions about what was going to happen based on a person's decision. I sort of figured this out on my own, when I began to notice that she always had a bucket right when I needed it the most.

Rosalie was being to warm up to me a little bit, when she discovered we had the same taste for shoes. But that was as far as it went. I soon discovered that her distaste for me was the fact that I was still human. I had no plans to alter this state, seconded by Alice, and that seemed to put Rosalie a little more at ease around me.

Even after two weeks, I could not quite figure Edward out. After my first encounter with him our meetings were few and far between. He was definitely the quiet brooding type. It was after a very embarrassing incident involving a Popsicle did I learn that Edward could read minds. I didn't think I could ever face him again after that. How was I to know that he could hear what I was thinking? Then again it wasn't an entirely appropriate thought either way. However, he laughed it off and warned to me watch my thoughts next time.

Out of all of the Cullens, Carlisle aside, I became the closest to Jasper. He was a man of few words, but when he did speak he always had me hanging on every word. It was late one night when I couldn't sleep that Jasper told me his story. I was completely fascinated and it was hard for me to believe it was true. Everyone else was completely surprised when they found out he had told me. Obviously he didn't talk about this part about himself very much. Or the fact that he could be with me for so long without the feelings of bloodlust toward me. It seemed like I was the first human that held no appeal to Jasper's vampire side. It brought me closer to him. He slowly grew to be the brother I never had, never more so that Noah at times. It was comfortable being in his presence, maybe his power at something to do with that. However, five minutes with Jasper was enough to make anymore feel better.

In the beginning I felt slightly uncomfortable for taking over their space and always being around. But they grew to enjoy my presence as much I was enjoying theirs. It seemed like they didn't interact with a great many people, so I was something new to them. I was there to listen to the stories everyone else had heard over and over again. It was a reassurance to know that I was as useful to them as they were to me.

After those initial two weeks, Carlisle told me I was making progress; he said he was beginning to "smell" a difference. However the hell that meant. He had tried to explain the intricacies of what blood smelled like to him. Apparently, when he first met me, I smelled of lavender and vanilla. An interesting combination was not completely familiar, but it didn't completely explain things. Granted I was quite familiar with the iron-like smell of blood, but the idea that it had a desirable quality slipped past me. I kind of just accepted the fact that the more I appealed to his "closeted" vampire, the better I was getting.

So there was still hope for me yet.

It was a particularly dreary afternoon in Forks, about four days before opening night. I was getting excited about finally mounting the show. Noah was so wrapped up in his own little world at this point, that he barely noticed my physical appearance, which for all intents and purposes was a good thing. He had once told me that it was good I was getting paler; he was so pleased that he told me, "I am so pleased you are getting so into this character". I bit back laughter at that comment, just smiling back at him.

I was having a really good day that night at our first official dress rehearsal. Carlisle had even remarked that the sparkle had returned to my eyes as we drove to the high school. Maybe it had, but I was just grateful to feel like myself again for as much time as I could have.

Everything ran really smoothly during our run through. Not one note was out of place and no vowels were dropped. It was a definite confidence boost for me. It even went so well that Noah let us go early, which was unheard of for him. If he was pleased than we were as well.

Carlisle and I walked hand in hand back to his car.

"Since we got out early and it is not too cold," he started as he fished into his pocket for his keys. "I want to show you something. If you are feeling up to it?"

I smiled up at his handsome face. "As long as you have me home before eleven, you can take me anywhere you want tonight. I haven't felt this good in weeks."

He chuckled slightly.

Soon we were driving up a small country road into the mountains. When we could go no farther with the car, Carlisle told me to get out. I thought he was crazy since we were in the middle of no wear.

I was going to question him farther when he swung me up into his arms and help me tight to his chest.

"It might be best if you close your eyes," he warned with an evil smile before taking off into the woods.

Everything was moving so swiftly, it was like I was flying. Of course I didn't listen and kept my eyes open. It was so unreal that by closing my eyes, I thought the illusion would fall away completely.

Suddenly we burst into an open field on the edge of a cliff. Carlisle gently set me down on my wobbly legs.

"Whew!" I gasped trying to find my footing, but just ended up sitting down where he placed me. I tried to make my head focus.

"I told you to close your eyes!" Carlisle laughed sitting down next to me on the soft grass.

"How do you do it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Run so fast and then not run into things." I slowly ran my hands over the grass enjoying the way the tips of the blades tickled my palms.

"Instinct." He shrugged. "I don't think I have ever heard of a vampire running into anything before."

Once everything stopped spinning, I took a look around. We were seated about six or seven feet from the edge of a cliff. In the moonlight everything had a soft glow to it. I looked up at the sky and marveled at all the sparkling dots.

The night sky was littered with thousands of stars. It was a sight to see with no artificial lights to disturb the true beauty of the night.

We sat in silence for a little while, both of us taking in the view. Slowly I turned my head to look at Carlisle.

His flawless pale skin glimmered like a pearl in the light of the moon. Seeing that his eyes were closed, I rotated my body so I was looking at him more fully.

Reaching out a hand, I traced my fingers over the length of his straight nose, over his high cheekbones and along the lines of his square jaw. He leaned his cheek against the palm of my hand, turning his head to kiss it.

Pulling my hand away, I settled it back in the grass. I turned to look at the sky again.

"It is beautiful here," I whispered.

"It is not nearly as beautiful as the vision in front of me."

I felt the blood creep up in my cheeks. I was thankful it was dark and that he probably didn't notice my blush.

He placed a cold hand on my cheek and turned my head so that I was looking at him once more. His intense gold eyes bored down into mine and I couldn't take my gaze away from them.

"Are you happy with me?" he asked and I could detect a little bit of doubt behind his words.

"Yes."

"And it doesn't bother you that I am a vampire?"

"Not at all. It is kind of cool actually."

He raised an elegant eyebrow. "Cool?"

"I mean, how many people can say that they have dated a vampire?"

He sighed heavily. "Not many, I am sure. Since most humans would be dead if they got this close to a vampire."

"But I know you won't hurt me."

"I have wanted to and now it is coming back to me in ways I have never felt before."

Now he was talking in riddles again.

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said earlier, Natasha, you are getting better if only marginally. However, the sweet smell of your blood is returning. I am finding it hard to be in your presence."

"Then I will stop taking my pills," I said before I could even realize what I had spoken.

Was I crazy? Stop taking my medicine? Would I risk my life to just have this man, this vampire in my life?

He shot me a hard look. "Why would you do that?"

"So that I could be with you, around you, and you not having to worry about hurting me. I guess the thing is that I…" I stopped short, gasping loudly and pressing a hand to my mouth.

Was I really about to tell Carlisle that I loved him? It would seem like I was going to admit just that. I closed my eyes tight just letting it roll around in my head and in my heart.

"You what?" he probed hesitantly.

I opened my eyes again, falling into his gaze again. I took his hand that was cupping my cheek and lead it down until it was lying over my beating heart.

"I…I…" I stuttered trying to find the courage to say the words.

I moved forward until my lips were at his ear. My voice was barely above a whisper.

"I love you, Carlisle Cullen."

TO BE CONTINUED……

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Soooo… how was it??


	16. Chapter 15

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everyone! Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews and comments! It has really kicked my ass into gear to write more and post sooner! So there is incentive there in letting me know what you think. lol ... Keep it up! On to the next chapter. **

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own _The Phantom of the Opera_ or anything associated with it.

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**Chapter Fifteen**

**Carlisle's POV…**

She opened her eyes again, instantly connecting with him. I watched in amazement as she took my hand which was on her cheek and laid it over her heart. I could feel it beating under my palm.

"I…I…" She fought to get the words out.

However then she leaned in closer and I could feel her warm breath by my ear.

I tensed up as her smell overwhelmed my senses and I dug my fingers into the ground. I stopped breathing altogether, not wanting her scent to distract me anymore than it already was.

Her voice was no more than a mere whisper. "I love you, Carlisle Cullen."

I was on my feet before she could blink. She stared up at me, confusion plainly written in on face. I still couldn't trust myself to breath as I stood impossibly still. If my heart wasn't already permanently stopped, those few simple words were enough to make it stop all over again.

She loved me.

This was bad. Very bad.

I wasn't going to stand there and lie to myself, saying that I wasn't happy about this. The Lord only knew how much I loved her, but having her love me in return was a whole other issue.

This fault was of my own doing. I couldn't stay away from her, no matter how much I knew it would be to both of our benefit. Then when she got sick, it was that much harder. So I didn't even try to stay away. Instead I probably did the stupidest and most dangerous thing… I fell in love.

In all my years of existence the idea of love between a human and a vampire seemed almost unfathomable, but now here it was. What was I going to do? This complicated things greatly and it still disturbed me slightly that she said she would stop treatment so that I could be more easily around her.

Statements such as that were enough for me to realize how far gone we both were and how dangerous and how deadly all of this could be.

A choked sob finally brought me back to the present. I looked down at Natasha who had her face buried in her hands, her small shoulders shaking. It was like a knife to the chest. How could I have been so careless? My initial reaction had been very inappropriate when it came to her feelings.

What else was I going to do? I needed to put some space between us and I needed to think. This was virtually impossible with Natasha crying at my feet because of something I had done.

I was at her side in an instant pulling her into my arms.

She gave me a confused look as I lifted her off the ground. I kept my expression as calm and neutral as I could.

"I should get you home," I said with almost no emotion.

She buried her face in the crook of my neck as I took off into the woods again.

She looked so small and broken when I left her standing on the front steps of her house. I pressed my lips to her forehead, muttered a quick "good bye", before turning on my heel and stalking off to my car.

I could find it within myself to turn around and look at her again. I knew I had hurt her by being distant, but distance was something I needed to enforce now. There was the strong urge to throw myself at her feet, beg her forgiveness and profess my own love for her.

I hit the gas harder until the moment passed. I tried to convince myself that I was doing the right thing, for once.

My cell phone vibrated in the cup holder next to me. I didn't need to look at the screen to see who it was. Sighing heavily, I picked it up, flipped it open and held it to my ear.

"Alice?"

"What have you done, Carlisle?" She didn't do anything to hide the edge in her voice.

"I am protecting her," I replied simply.

"Do you know what I have seen? What you think you are doing is going to kill her!"

I hated myself even more now, if that was even possible. This was not exactly what I wanted to hear.

"I haven't given up on her, Alice. I just need to keep my distance; I can't be with her anymore."

"What happened?"

I pulled off the road and up the driveway that led up to the house.

"She told me she loves me," I whispered.

"Oh! That is wonderful!"

"Is it?" I paused for a moment. "Who is at home?"

"Just Jasper and I. The others have gone hunting."

At least there would be no one there to pick at my brain right now. Alice was bad enough, but I don't think I could take Edward right now.

Pulling the car into the garage, I went to go inside. I passed Jasper as I was going in and he out. I could feel the hostility radiating off of him as he glared at me. There was no mistaking the slight growl emitted from him as he pushed passed me.

I shook my head as I went inside. There was no doubt in my mind that he had heard what Alice had told me. I had seen the affection between him and Natasha grow over the last couple of weeks. There definitely was a formidable bond between the two. I was grateful that he was there for her. It was unusual to see such a bond between two people. It was like they had known each other all their lives, like siblings. Jasper had reassured me that his feelings were strictly of friendship, not that I ever really suspected anything else.

I found Alice waiting for me in my office. Her tiny form perched on the edge of my desk, her feet swinging back and forth.

I pulled at my tie. It suddenly felt very tight. Sinking down into my chair, I laid my head in my hands. I rocked myself back and forth slowly trying to figure out what I was going to do now.

I became so wrapped up in my own self wallowing that I didn't notice when Alice approached me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"You know as well as I do that the visions change, Carlisle. It doesn't have to be this way."

"I know," I choked out, raising my head.

"Then why won't you do something about it?"

"I can't pretend that everything is going to be okay anymore, Alice. It's too dangerous with all of these emotions. I knew I loved her for so long, but I could accept that she didn't as long as I could be near her. But now that I know she reciprocates my feelings, it makes it harder."

"Isn't that enough? To know you are loved?"

I gripped the edge of the desk in front of me, the wood straining and splintering.

"I wish that it was enough. I shouldn't have let myself get to so close to her."

"What is it that you fear? Please explain this to me, Carlisle. Maybe then you will be better able to understand yourself."

"I am what I am. There is no way around that. She is human, a very sick human, but human none the less. I don't want to hurt her because of who I am. I will not watch her die."

"Then if she is willing, why don't you turn her?"

"I can't," I whispered brokenly, gazing down at the wood in my hand which I had snapped off my desk.

"Why not?"

I snarled softly. "She is my singer, Alice. I have never had human blood, except to save Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett. However, I was never drawn to them the way I am drawn to her. Also, given the nature of her cancer, I don't know if the venom would actually turn her or just kill her."

**Natasha's POV**

I watched as he drove off without even bothering to look at me again. I felt empty and numb.

I had just given my heart to only have it handed back to me in pieces. Maybe I had misjudged his feelings for me. I knew that he did care for me. Otherwise, why would he have taken me into his home and helped me when I had no other choices.

I leaned against one of the columns on the porch, gripping on to it for dear life. The tears were still streaming down my cheeks. It was then I had a revelation, maybe Carlisle only cared for me as a patient. How much of a fool I must have looked, confessing love like I did.

I didn't know what to do. I need to talk to someone, someone who might understand. I couldn't talk to Grandma about this, she wouldn't understand since I wasn't allowed to tell her the Cullens' secret.

I was in love with a freaking vampire. Why did this have to happen to me? He would remain as he always has been, young and handsome, while I withered. What sort of future could we have with that?

I finally found the strength to move. I fled inside, saying good night briefly to Grandma before heading up to my room.

I flopped down on the bed, burying my face in my pillow. What was I going to do? There was no going back now.

I had never felt this way in my entire life. I never thought I would ever find love. I had had boyfriends before, but no one I ever had strong feelings for.

I didn't believe in fate, but every time I saw Carlisle, I knew he was different. Not just vampire different, but as a man. He was soft spoken, gentle and compassionate to a fault. What was there not to love about a man like them? Nothing, I would soon find out.

I cried out my sorrows and my pain until there were no more tears to shed.

Suddenly I felt a hand placed and I practically jumped out of my skin. I went to scream but felt an ice cold hand over my mouth.

"Quiet, darlin'. It's just me."

I instantly recognized the smooth voice with the southern drawl.

"Jasper?" I whispered when he removed his hand from my mouth. "What are you doing here? More importantly… How on earth did you get in?"

He nodded his head towards the window. "Window. As to why I am here, Alice sent me."

Jasper had pulled my desk chair over to the side of the bed, watching me intently. I probably looked like hell as I used the sleeve of my shirt to wipe the rest of my tears away. He had my other hand between both of his.

I could feel the calm and tranquility radiating off of him and I felt slightly better.

"Thank you," I whispered. I took a moment to collect myself. "Why did Alice send you?"

The corners of his lips twitched up slightly. "She thought that you might need someone to talk to."

"She is always right. Isn't she?"

Jasper laughed. "I wouldn't bet against Alice," he paused. "I can feel your sadness. I saw Carlisle briefly before I left the house. I was getting conflicting emotions from him as well. Will you tell me what happened?"

Sighing, I told Jasper about what happened, trying not to leave out any details. He sat back in the chair, thinking purposefully, an intense look on his face.

"How strange," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That doesn't make sense to me. I would not have thought he would react that way."

"Why not?" I asked.

"His feelings towards you are always been affection, in its most minimal form. But tonight, I felt the fear."

Damn vampire riddles. "Fear?" I probed further.

"This is just a guess on my part, based on the emotions that were radiating from him. I think he is afraid of losing you."

"Then why would he push me away?"

"You are human, Natasha and he is a vampire. It's like a lion falling in love with a lamb. It just doesn't happen."

"But it has!" I cried, pressing the heels of my hand to my eyes.

There was silence for a long period of time. Jasper was running his thumb over the knuckles on the hand he held.

"Do you really love him?" he asked breaking the silence.

"Yes."

"Would you do anything for him?"

I thought about they question for a moment. How much was I willing to do to keep Carlisle in my life? I had told him I would stop taking my pills and I wasn't lying. I couldn't lose him either.

"Yes."

"Have you ever thought of becoming a vampire?"

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

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**What's goona happen next?? lol**


	17. Chapter 16

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everyone! Here is the next part. I am sorry it is kinda short, but it is important so I wanted to see how it would go over with my lovely readers before I continued on. With that in mind, PLEASE let me know what you think! And thank you for all the wonderful feedback you have already left me! **

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own _The Phantom of the Opera_ or anything associated with it.

_ITALICS = thoughts _

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**Chapter Sixteen**

**Natasha's POV…**

I sort of knew that people became vampires and weren't just spawned like one. It had never crossed my mind, however, that I, just like anyone else, could become a vampire. But was it really an option for me?

And it also raised the very important question of, how far dare I go to be with the man I loved? Would I give up my mortal soul at a chance of immortality and happiness? Besides, who even said that Carlisle still wanted me? Would I run the risk of becoming a vampire for him and him not accepting me in return?

These were all very important questions that I pondered for what felt like forever.

In the beginning it wasn't exactly a pleasing thought. I hardly ate red meat as it was, so the idea of actually drinking blood sent a shiver down my spine. Then I remembered Alice, and if petite, innocent looking little Alice could do it, then why couldn't I? I mean that was only one aspect of being a vampire.

Jasper stayed with me that night until I had fallen asleep. We didn't speak much after he had asked me that question about vampires. It seemed to have thrown me into my own world of thought that was hard for me to escape.

I have to admit that I was half hoping that Carlisle was going to pick me up the next morning. I guess that was why I was only half disappointed when it was Alice who came to my door that morning.

I think it was the first time I had ever seen Alice with a downcast look on her face.

"What's the matter, Alice?" I asked the second we were in the privacy of her car.

"Oh," she said with a shrug, "just some disturbing visions. Nothing I can't handle.

"Anything you would like to share?"

She frowned slightly, thinking about it for a moment.

"It's going to be sunny today."

I knew that sun was basically the bane of the Cullens' existence since they couldn't be out of doors without sparkling. However, I knew that the sun probably wasn't the only thing that was bothering Alice.

I thought better than to probe her about it so I remain quiet on that subject.

"Where is Carlisle?" I asked before I knew what I was saying. I mentally kicked myself for it as well.

"Hospital called him in early, said something about some sort of emergency. He didn't say much about it when he left this morning."

"Oh."

A couple of minutes later, thanks to a reckless vampire driver, we were at the house. With her arm wrapped around my waist and mine around her shoulders, Alice led me inside.

Mornings were one of the harder times for me. As it drew closer to my next dosage of medicine my body was practically depleted of what it had received the day before. That morning was particularly awful for me. My bones ached and my head was throbbing. I was at least grateful that I didn't have a fever like I normally had been having.

Alice settled me down in one of the oversized stuffed chairs, which had been dubbed by Emmett the "human chair". It had become my little place every time I was over. And apparently now, it was so saturated with my scent that none of the others bothered to sit on it.

Alice quickly disappeared once I had settled, muttering something about getting my pills. Looking around I found what the other Cullens were doing on their mandatory inside day.

Edward was behind his piano as always, scribbling something down on a piece of paper in front of him. He looked up at me for a second, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

Emmett grinned from ear to ear when he entered the room and saw me. He came over to me and picked me up into a big hug. Sometimes he seemed to underestimate his own strength.

"How is my favorite human this morning?" His laugh seemed to echo off the walls.

"Emmett," I squeaked out, "Can't … breath."

"Sorry," he muttered before setting me back on the chair.

I took several big breaths before I asked, "Where's Rose?"

"Upstairs," he started shoving his hands in his pockets. "She decided that it was time that she weeded through her closet."

With a final shrug he went over to the TV and turned it on. He kept the volume so low that I couldn't hear it but I knew he could.

Finally I looked over to Jasper, who was on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table and a book in his hands. Tilting my head to one side, I still couldn't quite read the title.

"Hey Jasper," I called over to him and he lifted his head from his book, using a single finger to mark where he was. "Whatcha reading?"

Folding the corner of the page down, he closed the book. With a soft swift flick of his wrist, the book sailed across the room and landed softly on my lap. I looked at him for a second before down at the book.

My hand flew up to my mouth. I could have fallen over laughing if I had been standing.

"What?" Jasper asked raising a single eyebrow.

I held up the book and pointed at the title.

"_Dracula_?" Really, Jasper?"

"It is well written. But within the bounds of the subject material, I find it quite hysterical. No wonder people have such bad views of vampires!"

"Doesn't it help with your charade, thought?" I asked, chucking the book back at him. He had to lean forward fast to catch it before it landed on the floor.

"What do you mean?"

"That book is the basis for almost all vampire myth and legend. Doesn't it help that at least 90% of it is wrong? Like no religious symbols of any kind, no garlic, no stakes, no fangs, you don't burn in the sun, and you can't turn into a bat."

"I wish I could turn into a bat," Emmett called over from the TV.

Jasper just shook his head, turning the book over in his hands.

"I guess you are right. As the most of the common signs aren't there, it is harder for people to really figure out what we are."

I nodded slightly, noticing that Alice was returning with a tray in one hand and a large glass of water in the other.

"Time for the human's medication," she said cheerfully as she practically danced to my side. She laid the tray down on my lap. "Carlisle laid it all out and labeled it so that even Emmett couldn't mess this up."

"Not nice, sis!" Emmett yelled over.

I just groaned looking down at the spread before me. I hated pills; I hated the look of them, the taste of them, and the fact that I had to swallow a good handful of them.

I picked up a small blue one, looking it over. I knew what each and every one of them was for, the correct dosage, and what it was supposed to do to help me.

_What was the point anymore?_ I thought, placing the blue pill back on the tray. I looked around, picked up the three pills that were painkillers. I swallowed them with a big gulp of water, before setting the rest on the table next to me.

Before I had a chance to blink, Alice and Edward were at my side, glaring at me.

"Are you insane?" Edward hissed at me.

"Do you have a death wish?" Alice asked the same moment.

Yeah, I totally forgot about the mind-reading and future-seeing vampires. Either way, what did it matter?

"No and no," I replied calmly, crossing my arms and sinking back into my chair.

I could see that Alice was struggling with what she wanted to say.

"Don't scare her like that Alice," Edward whispered to her, before turning back to me. "Why?"

_Isn't it obvious?_ I asked him in my mind.

"If it was obvious I wouldn't be asking?"

_I am sure you know about what happened between Carlisle and I._ He nodded silently. _It is not like I am choosing not to live anymore, Edward. So, please don't think that. I guess I am gambling with my life. _

"What do you mean?"

_How else will I get Carlisle back? To have him realize how much I do care for him. I know that he is avoiding me by not being here this morning. He always said that he cared so much for me, so if he sees that his lack of presence is having a negative affect on me. He will come back. _

"How are you so sure of that?"

_I'm not. That is why this is a gamble. _

"Is this really something you are willing to risk?"

_For Carlisle I would risk everything. _

"Hey, will you two please let me in on your little secret?" Alice cried out in despair.

Edward's words were so fast, like that day Jasper had spoken to Carlisle, that I couldn't catch his words.

Alice's expression dropped slightly with each word. At this point Jasper and Emmett had gathered around as well to hear what Edward had to say.

Jasper held my hand in his stone cold grasp.

"I don't like this… I don't like this one bit, Natasha," Alice said as she sagged against Jasper's shoulder.

"I second that," Emmett put in.

"Let me ask you this then," I started. "Alice, what wouldn't you do to keep Jasper in your life? And Emmett what about Rosalie?"

She sighed heavily, "I guess you are right."

Emmett nodded silently in agreement.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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**So..... lol**


	18. Chapter 17

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everyone! Here is the next part. Let me know what you think, please. I didn't hear from nearly as many of you as I normally do.**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own The Phantom of the Opera or anything associated with it.**_

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**Chapter Seventeen**

**Natasha's POV…**

We sat in companionable silence for a while, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Or in Edward's case, everyone thoughts.

I knew it was a lot for them to take in at once, but I was certain I was making the right choice. I mean what did I really have left to live for? There was Grandma, but she was getting on in years and I knew that I couldn't spend the rest of my life with her. There was also Noah, my best friend who was practically family to me. However, Noah was gay and therefore I couldn't spend my life with him either.

The only other people in my life were the Cullens. I had fallen in love with their leader/father-figure, which was an interesting way to think about it. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was what I wanted. Also, wasn't it logical to do whatever you could to get what you want?

Even if I didn't get what I wanted, I would at the very least be reunited with my parents. Struggling through this, I often wondered what my father had gone through and what he had thought about it. I wondered if he contemplated death like I have. I guess he had more to live for than I did; he had me and my mother. He had love and he had a family. Maybe it was harder for him to accept death knowing what he was leaving behind. Maybe that was why I wasn't so afraid, because I had very little to leave behind.

Edward shifted slightly next to me, which drew me out of my own thoughts. He stood, pulling a small silver cell phone from his pocket.

I looked up at him quickly.

What are you doing?

"Calling Carlisle," Edward replied quietly, holding the phone up to his ear.

Edward Cullen, you will put that phone down this instant! I fumed at him in my head.

I continued out loud so that no one else had the crazy idea of actually calling Carlisle. "Do you honestly think that by making him feel extremely guilty is the right way to go about this? I want him to come back on his own volition rather than he feels like he has to out of guilt."

Edward sighed heavily, snapping the phone shut and putting it back in his pocket.

"I don't want any of you to get any ideas about telling Carlisle," I said crossing my arms.

"What are we not telling Carlisle?" Rosalie asked as she appeared at the top of the steps. "I do love a good secret."

"Natasha is refusing to take her pills and she doesn't want us to tell Carlisle," said Edward.

"Her future has disappeared right before my eyes," put in Alice.

"Oh," Rosalie responding as she appeared too at my side. "What happened?"

This time Emmett answered as he wrapped an arm around his wife's waist, "Carlisle rejected her, so she has chosen death."

Rosalie looked at me as she cocked up an eyebrow. "Isn't that a little melodramatic?"

"As much as I hate it," started Alice, "I do have to admit it is rather romantic."

Edward growled slightly. "And completely irrational. It's not like Carlisle is being any more rational about this than she is."

"Carlisle is the one who started this whole mess. Though he thought he had good intentions," continued Alice.

"Whether his intentions were good or not, they are obviously having a negative effect."

Emmett then interrupted with, "We should just bite her and save them both the trouble."

Alice cried out slightly, burying her face in Jasper's shoulder. "We can't do that!"

"Why not?" Emmett pushed.

"Because it is too dangerous. Carlisle expressed concern about it to me…"

"What? Time out!" I called out. "Carlisle talked to you about turning me?"

"Last night. He is worried that because of your Leukemia that the venom might just kill you and not actually turn you into a vampire."

The panic that was welling up inside of me was completely replaced by a warm calm feeling before it had a chance to manifest itself. If it weren't for Jasper, I swear I would have lost my mind before now.

We slipped back into silence again at Alice's words.

I had never thought of it that way. It was all about blood in one way or another it seemed. Good blood, bad blood. Even as a nurse, I never put so much thought into blood before. As my blood cells were already mutated it sort of made sense to me that vampire venom may not have the same effect as they did on normal blood cells.

This realization wasn't enough to make me change my mind about the whole thing either. This wasn't about becoming a vampire; it was about being with the person who made my soul whole.

"But I was on my deathbed from illness when Carlisle turned me," Edward said quietly.

"You had Spanish Influenza, Edward, that is not a blood disease," Jasper said, speaking for the first time.

We talked a little bit more after that about what we were going to do, or in my case, what I was not going to do. While none of them seemed particularly in favor of my plan, I sort of forced them to accept it. It was my body, my health and I was going to do with it as I damn well pleased.

I didn't see Carlisle that night at rehearsal. Noah told me he had called, apologizing because he was going to be detained at the hospital for a while longer. Alice and I exchanged a look, both of us knowing full well that Carlisle was lying to Noah. He wasn't there because he was avoiding me and this made it even more obvious.

Noah didn't seem too upset about Carlisle absence however, because he was confident in Carlisle's performance.

The next three days progressed in a slow painful fashion. Carlisle was still completely absent from wherever I happened to be. This also helped to prove that the "kids" hadn't ratted me out to their father yet. I was comforted by this, knowing that I could trust them with things of this magnitude.

I didn't think that three days without medication was going to affect me as greatly as it did. I didn't think that I had ever been in so much pain in my entire life. It hurt to move, it hurt to breathe and God help me, it even hurt to blink. I was having raging fevers that would leave me down for the count most of the day.

On the morning of opening night, I was curled up on my chair at the Cullens. Alice was sitting next to me, shaking her head.

"You look like death," she remarked.

"No, you look like death; I look like death warmed over," I said, tacking on a little laugh.

"Very funny."

Alice just continued to shake her head as she placed her icy hand on my forehead. I sighed slightly, feeling some relief from the heat. I knew I was pale and waxy looking. I was going to take a lot of make-up tonight to make me look a little bit alive.

I slept most of that day, hoping that come evening I would at least feel a little bit better. My strength was waning and I knew that I had to conserve as much energy as I could. The last thing I wanted as to fall on stage tonight.

I needed the support of Alice to get me into my dressing room. I use the term dressing room loosely since we were performing in a high school; it was just an empty classroom, which I shared with Alice and Rosalie.

"He will be here," she whispered in my ear as she set me down on one of the stool.

I didn't need to ask who she was talking about, it was kind of obvious. There was no way for him to ignore me tonight or to not notice me. This was a very very good thing because I didn't know how much more I could take of this suffering.

I had thought over the last couple of days of caving in and taking my pills. There were definitely days where I wanted to do that much. But then I reminded myself why I was doing this and I resigned myself to my fate.

I gave myself a little pep talk before I went out on stage. I tried to convince myself that everything was going to be okay and that everything was going to work out. I was going to hit my notes and I was not going to fall on my face.

I knew Grandma was out there in the crowd, she had come with Noah's parents. I wanted to make her proud, especially since I hadn't been spending a lot of time with her of late. Ignoring Grandma wasn't entirely in my plan, but things just started to turn that way. I greatly hoped that once things were back to normal, if I was alive that is, I would spend more time with her.

As I slowly made myself to the stage with Alice at my side, I caught a glimpse of Carlisle in the distance. He was sitting on an upturned bucket, his head rest in his hands. The Phantom's half-mask covering the right side of his face, so I couldn't see his expression. After a moment, he stood. His black evening suit with white bowtie and long coat tails fit him perfectly and he was a very convincing Phantom.

"I never thought I was going to have a use for a hundred-twenty year old suit," he had said, as I laughed when he pulled the suit from his own closet.

I wouldn't see him again until we were both on stage and in character.

I threw myself into it, heart and body, the instant I stepped foot onto that stage. There was great energy in the audience that night, you could feel it. It helped empower me to push myself to be the best that I could be.

I started to feel a little anxious just as I was finishing singing _Angel of Music_ with Alice. I knew that Carlisle and I were going to be alone on stage together for the next three songs.

Raoul was being played by Rick, a young high school senior, who somehow managed to make stuck-up, self aware aristocrat seem easy. He was tall and lanky, making me look a lot shorter than I already was. Rick was a good kid and the last couple of days he would watch me more intently to see if I was okay. I would just wave him off.

However, he still gave me a curious look when he came on stage as we sang our song. He probably could see through my tough façade I had thrown up. However, he was very good at masking whatever reaction he was having to my outward appearance.

_CHRISTINE  
__What I love best, Lotte said  
__Is when I'm asleep in my bed  
__And the angel of music  
__Sing songs in my head_

_CHRISTINE & RAOUL  
__The angel of music  
__Sings songs in my head_

Rick soon exited and I knew what was going to happen next. However, nothing would have prepared me for it.

_PHANTOM  
__Insolent boy that slave of fashion  
__Basking in your glory  
__Ignorant fool this brave young suitor  
__Sharing in my triumph_

I tried so hard not to shake at the sound of Carlisle's voice behind me. It had felt so long since I had last heard his voice. The beauty and power of it washed over me, capturing me and rooting me to my place.

_CHRISTINE  
__Angel I hear you speak  
__I listen  
__Stay by my side, guide me  
__Angel, my soul was weak  
__Forgive me  
__Enter at last Master_

_PHANTOM  
__Flattering child you shall know me  
__See why in shadow I hide  
__Look at your face in the mirror  
__I am there inside_

_CHRISTINE  
__Angel of Music, guide and guardian  
__Grant to me your glory  
__Angel of Music, hide no longer  
__Conquer me strange Angel  
__  
__PHANTOM  
__I am your Angel  
__Come to me Angel of Music_

I soon found myself falling into the same trap that the innocent Christine was falling into. I was drawn to the sound of his voice, allowing it to take me wherever he wanted to go. I began to understand Christine's character so much more in those moments. It was so easy to be drawn in and held in that powerful embrace.

I lay my hand in his and looked up at his face for the first time. The shock was clear in his eyes, but he did well to mask his expression.

**Carlisle's POV **

As I took her small hand in mine, to draw her through the mirror, I was struck by her appearance. Her skin was nearly as pale as I was, there were dark circles under her eyes and her cheeks had hallowed out slightly.

Good God, what had I done?

I fought myself the entire time to not drag her off stage and demand an explanation. However, there was a degree of professionalism between the two of us that would not allow me to do that.

As I drew closer to her while I was singing Music of the Night, I was able to get a good whiff of her scent. It wasn't the same, it wasn't as good as it had been four days ago. It was worse, much worse than I had ever smelled it.

What the hell had happened while I was absent? Why didn't any of my children bother to tell me that something was wrong?

As the lights dimmed down as the song ended, I moved over to the other side of the stage. It gave me a moment to collect myself and prepare for my next move.

_EDWARD!_ I yelled in my thoughts, knowing that if I was loud enough, he would hear me above everyone else. _You better be in my dressing room when I get there for intermission otherwise you are a dead vampire! _

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

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**_Please let me know if you like it or didnt like it! I should have more done soon!_**


	19. Chapter 18

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everyone! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I have never gotten so many reviews for a single chapter before! It was unbelievable. I am so happy that so many people love my story as much as I do. As a reward for being so good to me and since I took so long to update, here is a super long update. This is about twice the length of a normal update so I hope you like it! As always please please let me know what you think! _**

**_DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie_ _Meyer. I also do not own The Phantom of the Opera or anything associated with it._ **

_**This chapter is dedicated to my dear friend Ravina, who has helped me so much through the process for writing this story. Your advice has been invaluable to me. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! **_

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**Chapter Eighteen**

**Carlisle's POV continued…**

I tried as best I could to compartmentalize my anger; pushing as much of it onto the character I was playing as possible. It was the only true way for me to do it without the direr urge to kill someone.

I stiffened when I felt Natasha behind me, her scent overpowering my senses and not in a good way. I was so tightly wound that when she pulled the mask off my face, I reacted with more force than I normally did.

_PHANTOM  
__Damn you!  
__You little prying Pandora!  
__You little demon  
__Is this what you wanted to see?  
__Curse you!  
__You little lying Delilah!  
__You little viper  
__Now you cannot ever be free!  
__Damn you...  
__Curse you..._

She was terrified and I could see it on her face. It made me feel more the monster in her eyes than I had ever appeared to be. The good doctor had a darker side to him, that both of us seemed so easy to forget.

My decision to let her be was out of my own thinking that I was not the kind of man for her. Why was I about to damn her to the lonely life that I had lived for so long?

Once the scene was over and the play progressed, I knew I was not going to get that close to her again. This relieved me somewhat since I was not able to think clearly with her so close and appearing so hopeless.

I was still furious as I paced offstage in a dark corner. People would shoot me odd looks as they walked past; probably wondering what had gotten into me. However, I heard someone whisper to another, that I was just trying to stay in character between the long pauses, since the Phantom was going to be upset and anger the next time he appeared. That seemed to make enough sense to me; it also made people leave me alone.

Not that I needed to stew in my own mind at the moment. Every conclusion I was coming to in the time I was alone when from bad to worse very quickly. I couldn't even pull Alice or Rosalie over to demand an explanation since they were both in the rest of the scenes in the first act tighter.

This alone drove me nuts, to come to conclusions on my own without have someone tell me that I was wrong. Or at least I hoped I was wrong.

She couldn't have possibly given up so easily? Only three days ago, she had seemed so happy and hopeful about the situation.

I pushed it to the back of my mind, not wanting to let it get to me, for the time being. I was going to have a good long chat with Edward when the time came.

As the first act was drawing to a close and I was hiding out in the wings waiting for my time. I let the words of the song being sung by Natasha and Rick wash over me.

_RAOUL  
Then say you'll share with me  
__One love, one lifetime  
Let me lead you from your solitude  
Say you need me with you here, beside you  
Anywhere you go, let me go too -  
Christine,  
That's all I ask of you__One love, one lifetime  
say the word and I will follow you__Each night, each morning__  
RAOUL  
You know I do_

CHRISTINE  
Say you'll share with me

CHRISTINE/RAOUL  
Share each day with me,

CHRISTINE  
Say you love me

CHRISTINE/RAOUL  
Love me -  
that's all I ask of you

I knew I shouldn't have let the words get to me. If I could shed tears, I would have. Something in my subconscious was telling me that this was a play, that it was fake, and that what they were saying really meant nothing. I mean seriously, Rick was a high school student. But somehow I wished more than anything that I could have been him in those moments.

It just fueled the fire within me more; igniting the flames within my being that had for so long been dormant. This overflowing of emotion was something that had become so foreign to me. Love did crazy things to people and I was beginning to see it first hand. It pained me to see her like that and it pained me even more to know that something I may or may not have done at caused her this pain.

I slowly crept up from my place to sing the last lines of the act before the curtains fell. I put everything I had behind those words, hoping it would be so sort of release from everything that was pent up within me.

_PHANTOM  
__I gave you my music  
__Made your song take wing.  
__Now have you have repaid me  
__Denied me and betrayed me  
__He was bound to love you  
__Once he heard you sing  
__Christine… Christine… _

_CHRISTINE/RAOUL  
__Say you will share with me  
__One love one lifetime  
__Say the would and I will follow you  
__Share each day with me  
__Each night each morning _

_PHANTOM  
__You will curse the day you did not do  
__All that the Phantom asked of you!_

Instead of it being a release as I had hoped it only made me angrier. Edward had better be in that empty classroom when I got there; otherwise I was going to have to find him.

Trying to walk had a human pace so as to not arouse suspicion I went back to the room I shared with Rick. He was already there when I returned.

I sent him one look through the eye hole of my mask and snarled slightly at him. Not completely un-initial in my actions, but it soon had him mumbling something about finding someone and left the room.

As I have said, I liked the kid well and fine, but I needed my space right now. Besides our characters were supposed to be rivals, who said that I had to drop character when intermission came?

I went over to the window, removing my mask in the process. I sent it down on one of the tables and ran my hands over my face. This was a mistake, since I had prosthetics over half of my face. With a sigh, I placed the mask back on. While I might look more terrifying with it off, I planned on having a serious conversation with my son.

I braced my hands on the radiator, trying with what will I had left, not to mangle the thing. I started to sing _It's A Small World_ in my head, knowing that it was the one thing that drove Edward the craziest out of anything I could think of. I also didn't want to give him too much of a hint of what I was going to talk to him about.

I was only alone for about four minutes before I heard the door open and close. I kept my back facing the door, as I gazing out the window.

"Edward, do you know why I asked you to come here?" I asked in the most patient voice I could under the circumstances.

"Honestly, Carlisle, I have no idea, since the only thing in your head is that annoying song!" he explained.

I heard a snickering behind me which made me whip around quickly.

Alice was standing next to Edward; both of them had quiet serious looks on their faces.

"Alice, what are you doing here?" I asked through clenched teeth.

"I saw what you were going to say to Edward, and I thought it best if I were here as well."

"Why didn't either of you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Alice started innocently, crossing her arms.

I gave Edward a pointed look and finally let him inside my head. I showed him what I saw in Natasha earlier that night. He visibly grimaced at the thought.

_How do you explain that? _

"We can explain," he said slowly.

I stayed my ground, not trusting myself to move.

_You better as hell start explaining! _

"There is nothing to explain."

_Then tell me why she looks like she is going to fall over at any minute and why her blood has lost its sweet smell yet again? _

"It was her choice, Carlisle."

_Her choice to do what, exactly? _How could Edward be so calm? It seemed almost unsettling.

"She stopped taking her medication."

_WHAT?_

I flew over to him in an instant and had my hand wrapped around his throat. I lifted him off the ground easily and I growled at him.

I was beyond stunned. This was the last thing; I had ever thought he was going to say. I know she had told me she would the last time I saw her. Then it hit me. She said that she would stop taking her pills to be with me.

"It wasn't our idea!" Edward cried out in defense of himself.

Alice then broke in, "You two, really have to stop doing that. I want to know what's going on." She had moved out of my line of fire and was perched on one of the school desks.

My fingers tightened slightly. "Why did anyone bother to tell me?" I continued out loud for Alice's sake.

"She made us promise not to tell you," replied Alice as Edward nodded his head silently.

"Why not?"

"Because she was afraid of how you would react, besides, how else was she supposed to get you to come back?" That hurt. Alice slid off the desk and came to stand next to me. "You have to see it from her point of view, Carlisle. She professed love for you and then you disappear out of her life after you were such a constant."

"That doesn't explain why no one told me. I would have come back."

"Would you?" Alice whispered.

I released my hand, letting Edward fall back to his feet. I took a few slow steps backward, shaking my head.

This was my fault. By putting this distance between us, I had hurt her even more. I had convinced myself it was the right thing to do, for her sake and mine.

_This is all my fault. _

"No shit, Sherlock," remarked Edward as he rubbed a hand against his throat.

I couldn't even apologize to him. It had acted out of anger, something that I never did. What had become of me? That I would lash out at my own son and put an innocent woman's life in jeopardy because I couldn't handle the truth?

I sank down into a chair that Alice quickly pushed behind me. I buried my head in my hands. What had I done? The more important question was: what was I going to do next?

I felt two hands, one of each of my shoulders. I looked up at Alice and Edward in front of me.

"You have always told me to follow my heart, Carlisle. I know yours won't steer you in the wrong direction," said Edward, with a slight smile.

"I can see things will work out, if you make the right choices of course." Alice winked at me. "If you do something stupid like this again, I will make sure to kick you swiftly for even considering it."

"Thank you," I whispered to them.

Then there was a loud knock at the door, before it cracked open. A stage-hand stuck his head through the door.

"Two minutes, Dr. Cullen."

Nodding to him, he soon disappeared again.

I sighed heavily as I rose to my feet. I still didn't know what I was going to do. But I hoped that as the second act progressed, I would think of something. For once I was going to do the right thing and set things straight again.

**Natasha's POV**

Alice disappeared soon after the curtain fell. This left Rosalie to help me back to our dressing room. I tried not to lean too heavily on her, but when she told me that I weighed nothing to her, I finally gave in.

I laid out on the rug in the room and used my coat as a pillow. My body ached, my throat ached, and I was exhausted. This was getting harder and harder as time went by. I figured I would use intermission to take a nap so that I could hopefully get through the second act in one piece.

However, I couldn't sleep. All I could think about it was the shocked look on Carlisle's face when he saw me and then the rage behind his words. Granted, the Phantom was supposed to be angry, but I had never seen Carlisle like that before. It honestly scared me half to death.

My twenty minutes were up sooner than I had hoped they would be. I was back in costume and on stage before I realized where the time had gone. Unfortunately I hadn't gotten any rest, which didn't help very much.

Halfway through the act, the fatigue was beginning to wrack havoc on my body. I was very happy when one of the songs I had to sing, I got to do it sitting down. But it was over too soon and I was back on my feet.

My legs trembled and threatened to give out underneath me as I sang my next aria, _Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again_. This song had a special meaning to me, since Christine was singing about the father she had lost as a child. I connected to the song at that level and no matter how many times I sang it, it brought me to tears.

As I got to the final verse and chorus, I couldn't take the pain in my legs anymore. I sank down on my knees in the middle of the stage, as if it was choreographed that way.

_CHRISTINE  
__Too many years fighting back tears  
__Why can't the past just die?  
__Wishing you were somehow here again  
__Knowing we must say goodbye  
__Try to forgive… teach me to live  
__Give me the strength to try  
__No more memories, no more silent tears  
__No more gazing across the wasted years  
__Help me say goodbye._

By the time I was finished, I had tears running down my cheeks from pain and emotion.

I then heard Carlisle's voicing singing to me from behind a set piece. I closed my eyes for a moment. It was the first song we had ever sung together, back when we were auditioning, back when things were different.

It felt so different to sing it again with him, under the conditions. I can see the concern in his eyes when he saw me on the ground. I fought hard with myself to bring myself to my feet again. I was not going to let him see my weakness, not now.

Rick practically had to carry me off when the song ended. The end was drawing closer and closer. I craved it so much, but it seemed to come more slowly.

I was actually pleased when we finally got to _Past the Point of No Return_. Ten minutes left, I kept telling myself. Well, that was only one reason, the other being that even if I was very close to Carlisle during the whole song and I didn't have to see his face. The long back cloak he wore also had a hood that covered everything else about him. That was the point of the cloak, for purposes of disguise, but I didn't have to see that changed look in his eyes.

Something must have happened during intermission. Maybe that was why Alice disappeared. Ever since the beginning of the second act, Carlisle seemed less angry, but even more upset every time he saw me. It served him right. While I did not want his pity, I wanted him to realize what he had done to me, or what he had forced me to do.

However, the piercing glance was back, the second I pulled the hood back. Then he started the one part of the song, I knew was going to be the hardest to hear. It was a lot harder than I had ever imagined it would be. Because I could almost allow myself to believe that he meant it. I kicked myself remembering that it was his fault I was in so much pain. That it was because of him that I was all but killing myself.

_PHANTOM  
__Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime  
L__ead me, save me from my solitude  
__Say you want me with you, here beside you  
__Anywhere you go let me go too -  
__Christine  
__That's all I ask of…_

I had always wanted him to finish that line, but it was not meant to be as I reached forward and pulled the mask from his face.

Hurt was clearly written on his face and whether it was from true feeling or from acting I will never know. In the next instant, I was pressed up against his cold hard chest as he practically carried me off.

Everything was a whirlwind of activity as the scenes changed. I was growing progressively dizzy as time went on. The next thing I realized was we were finally at the last scene as I sat on the ground glaring up at him.

_CHRISTINE:  
Have you gorged yourself at last, in your lust for blood?  
Am I now to be prey to your lust for flesh?  
_

If I wasn't so tightly wound and anxious, I would have seen the irony in that statement and laughed out loud. The slight twitch of Carlisle's lips proved that he thought it was ironic as well.

As the scene progressed, Carlisle and I sang at each other as if we were having a serious fight. A fight we never had, but it was going to happen one way or another. It just seemed like the words were out of place, since they held very little relevance to our real situation. But it allowed for me to get out all the hurt I felt.

It was like as our characters were coming to an understanding of each other, Carlisle and I were coming to an understanding of ourselves.

I kind of felt back for Rick, who had to keep up with the two of us.

_CHRISTINE:  
__The tears I might have shed for your dark fate grow cold, and turn to tears of hate! _

_RAOUL:  
__Christine, forgive me please forgive me  
__I did it all for you, and all for nothing _

_CHRISTINE:  
__Farewell my fallen idol and false friend  
__We had such hopes and now  
T__hose hopes are shattered!_

_PHANTOM:  
__Too late for turning back, too late for prayers and useless pity!_

The emotions were running rampant between us as we sang/fought. It was getting pretty intense. I don't think any of us had ever sung it that passionately in rehearsal's before.

Throughout this whole thing, I realized that I really could not live without this man. Whether Carlisle wanted/needed more or not, it seemed almost irrelevant now, since I needed him more than anything else. I could feel it in my soul that this was the man for me. Vampire or not, I did not care.

_PHANTOM:  
__You try my patience - make your choice! _

_CHRISTINE:  
__Pitiful creature of darkness  
__What kind of life have you known?  
__God give me courage to show you you are not alone  
_

With those words, I moved closer to him and took his face between my hands. I pressed my lips to his and kissed him with everything I had. This was no where near the stage kisses we had shared before at this point. This kiss was to show him that I really did love him.

Pulling away, I saw him raise his hand out of the corner of my eyes, but then drop it again. I knew deep down in my heart, that if it wasn't out of character he would have touched me then. This brought a slight smile to my face as I moved away and went off stage with Rick.

A few moments later, I was back for my character to give the ring she had back. His golden eyes bored down into mine as I placed it in his hand.

_PHANTOM  
__Christine, I love you... _

Now, if I pretended that my name was actually Christine for just that one moment, I knew he loved me. He loved me! I could hear it in his voice. Something was different about the way he said it this time than all the times he had said it before. He really meant it.

As soon as the curtain fell at the end of the play, I was back on stage and looking for him. I found him standing alone to one side. I smiled when I saw him. I went as fast as my poor tired legs would take me, which was quite slow. However, he saw me as well and was at my side a lot sooner than I would have been at his.

He took my hand in his as the curtain came up again for our final bow. The feeling of having his cold hand in mine again sent waves of ease and comfort through me. My head was swimming with emotion and utter exhaustion. I was burning hot as well.

Once the curtain was closed again, Carlisle instantly had his arms around my waist and was holding me tightly to him. I buried my hot face in his neck as I breathed in his sweet scent.

"I love you," he whispered sweetly in my ear as he ran the backs of his fingers across my cheek.

"I love you too," I whispered back to him as I slipped from reality.

**Carlisle's POV**

It was so nice to have her back in my arms. Something had happened during the last scene of the musical. It seemed like everything had changed.

"I love you too." I heard her say, before she was silent again. Her breathing shallow-out as she sagged heavily against me. I gently tapped my fingers against her cheek, to see if I could wake her. She didn't respond to my touch. I then pressed my fingers to the pulse point in her neck.

Her heart beat was very faint. She wasn't asleep, she was unconscious. I swung her up into my arms so I was carrying her life a baby. Using one of my hands I kept her face pressed against my neck, so I could feel her breathing. Also, this way, it still looked like she was asleep.

_Edward, bring the car around. Natasha needs our help. Now!_ I said in my thoughts.

Alice and Rosalie were quickly at my side as I strode out to the parking lot. Edward was already there with Jasper and Emmett.

"We need to get her to the house," I said quickly as I climbed into the back of Edward's Volvo.

They knew better than to ask question at this point. They could hear her faint heartbeat as well as I could, so they too knew she was not asleep like everyone else believed.

Thanks to Edward's fast driving we were home in minutes. The entire ride, I kept my fingers against her throat, counting the beats.

Once we were home, I carried her inside and laid her down on the couch. I knelt down at her side, clutching her motionless hand in mind.

I knew what I had to do. It was my only choice now, if I wanted to keep her in my life. It wasn't the choice I wanted to have to make alone. I had hoped to talk to her about it. But now there was no time.

"What are you going to do?" asked Emmett as the rest of them came to stand around us.

"The only thing I can do," I replied.

Pushing her hair to one side, I bent over the smooth exposed column of her neck. I could hear her faint heartbeat pumping in my ears and the scent of her putrid blood in my nose.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better," I whispered quietly to her, hoping she could hear me.

I bared my perfectly straight white razor sharp teeth, leaning further down. I ignored the five pairs of eyes staring at me intently. There was no going back now. I had made my decision and come what may. This was the only choice I could make. Since I had changed my mind so many times in the last ten minutes alone, Alice was unable to get a clear picture of what was to come. In many ways, I preferred not to know.

My teeth were only a hairsbreadth away from sinking into Natasha's warm soft flesh, when a loud gasp registered in my subconscious. It was enough to distract me from my task, as I turned my head slightly to one side to stare at a trembling Alice.

"Carlisle… don't," whispered Alice, fervently.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

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_**Aren't I evil? lol Will Carlisle finally bite her? What did Alice see? Leave me some love and we will see what happens sooner! :-P**_


	20. Chapter 19

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you so much for the overwhelming response to the last chapter! It was unbelievable when I opened my email and saw so many reviews! Definitely makes me work hard to write my best for all of you. Thank you again and please keep it up. I love hearing what everyone has to say!! **_

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own The Phantom of the Opera or anything associated with it. **_

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**Chapter Nineteen**

**Carlisle's POV (cont)…**

"What?" I snarled at her.

Of course now was the time for Alice to see something important. At least I hoped it was important for her to interrupt me at such a moment.

I stared at her intently, waiting for her to say something, but she just kept shaking her head. Jasper had placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her.

"What did you see, Alice?" he whispered to her.

She turned to me and I could see the trouble beneath her golden eyes.

"She woke up, Carlisle." She paused a moment. "And her eyes were blue."

Wasn't I planning on biting her? Wouldn't that cause her eyes to turn red as was custom for newborn vampires?

I wanted to question her further but she had the far-off look on her face again. I glanced over at Edward, knowing he was in her mind, experiencing this vision with her. He was gripping the back of the couch between his hands and I could hear the fabric giving out.

"I'm so confused!" Alice exclaimed suddenly. "One minute I can see her future, the next it is gone and when I do see her, things just don't seem to add up at all!"

"Tell us more," Jasper urged quietly.

Alice remained silent for a moment. "When Carlisle was going to bite her, I could see her future, but her eyes were blue. And when I made him stop, the vision went dark."

I was frozen in my place. I didn't even breathe.

"But there is something else strange," Edward said, breaking his silence.

I paid little attention on him, focusing on Alice's words. Regardless of these strange things she was talking about, it seemed to be that if I did bite her that she would wake up. That was enough for me. At least right now.

With my hands on either sides of Natasha's calm face, I looked down at her for a moment. Her dark lashes were resting gently against her pale cheeks. I ran the pads of my thumbs over her cheeks, feeling her hot smooth skin.

I could hear the swirl of words around me; Alice's frantic words, Jasper's calm resolution, Emmett and Rosalie's confusion and even Edward's utter silence. Somehow I managed to distance myself from them, barely registering their words.

I was so focused on Natasha's weak heartbeat that it was the only sound I wanted to hear in those moments. Maybe there was some goodness behind Alice's interruption, but now I couldn't dally much longer than I already had.

Taking Natasha's chin in my hand, I tipped her head to one side. Before I could be disturbed for a second time, I swiftly lowered my head and sank my teeth into her neck.

"No!" Edward muttered.

The warm spray of her blood in my mouth sent shivers down my spine. It was not at all was I had expected it to be. The last I had tasted human blood was when Rosalie begged me to turn Emmett. This was different and not in a good way.

It was like I had bitten to into a tree or something of that nature, because her blood was like sawdust. It was bitter and sour. I fought against my natural urges. Despite its foul taste, it was still human blood and my body craved it.

I bit down harder as my venom flowed freely from my teeth into her body. I have never felt so close to her as I did in that moment. While we had never become one in the flesh, I still felt like I was a part of her.

She began to tremble beneath me and I knew that the venom was beginning running it course. I pulled away from her abruptly, pressing my fist to my lips.

My entire body was shaking from the exertion it took to pull away from her. One would think that having done this three times before; I would be used to it by now. However, every time seemed more difficult the last.

The room had grown completely silent that all any of us could hear was Natasha's heartbeat starting to race faster and faster. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly to my chest. I didn't want to let her go, not knowing if these were going to be our final moments together. I had done all I could do, now only time (and Alice) would tell of the outcome.

I closed my eyes and prayed to God, hoping that in my most dire need that He would not forsake me now. Since becoming a vampire, my faith had been tested in so many ways and sometimes I wondered if I believed anymore. I was a minister's son, nonetheless, and my father's large wooden crucifix hung on our wall, so praying in that moment, seemed like the only right course of action.

I soon started to say every prayer I could remember in Latin in my head. A soft murmuring started in time with the words in my head; I slowly raised my head to see Edward mouthing the words along with me. If I questioned my faith, Edward questioned his tenfold, so I was surprised to see him doing this.

He moved over to my side and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Carlisle…" he started, but I didn't hear him.

All of a sudden there was an odd ringing in my ears and my fingers and toes started to tingle. It was a very strange sensation, like there were hundred of tiny ants under my skin. As it spread through my entire body, I started to see spots in front of my eyes.

That was the last thing I remember for a long time. I remember sitting there with Natasha in my arms as I began feeling this that I had never felt as a vampire. There was a searing pain that followed it, it was like the fire that ran through me when I was changed.

The next thing I realized was that I was curled up on the floor, my hands on my throbbing head. My eyes were squeezed shit and I dared not open them. But I heard the words around me.

"What is wrong with him?" asked Rosalie concerned from behind me.

"He is really starting to scare me," Emmett admitted. "He hasn't moved in over six hours."

I heard Edward next, "His thoughts are fuzzy, and I can't make out anything coherent."

"Is this what you saw, Alice" Jasper asked gently.

"Yes," she whispered. "But I don't believe it! It doesn't make sense; I have never known a vampire to react this way to biting a human."

"Do you think it has something to do with her illness?" asked Jasper.

"It is definitely a possibility," Alice replied.

What in the world was Alice taking about? More importantly, what had happened to me? Besides the pain in my head, I felt like myself. I slowly opened my eyes and blinked a few times. My vision was just as good as it had always had been.

"Carlisle?"

I looked up at my family as they were standing around me, their eyes wide with disbelief. Alice gasped loudly and Emmett let out a nervous chuckle.

Before I had a chance to say anything, Rosalie shoved a compact into my hand.

"Look!" she demanded.

I snapped the tiny mirror open and held it up to my face. I was met with a pair of brilliant sapphire blue eyes. Blinking several times, I wanted to make sure that I wasn't losing my mind. I seriously considered poking myself in the eye just to make sure, but I resisted that urge.

The more I looked at the more, the more I realized where I had seen these eyes before. I could not remember what my natural eye color had been when I was a human, which was so long ago. But, they were the exact same color as Natasha's.

The mirror dropped from my hand as I whipped around. Natasha was still laying on the couch, her lips parted in a silent scream.

Very carefully I got up to my feet. In the process my hand passed through a sliver of sun light that had come in through a window.

I stopped suddenly again, looking down at my hand in the sunlight. It didn't sparkle, it glowed. It was more pearl than diamond.

What the hell had happened to me? I really hoped it was just the eyes and the skin, and not something more than that.

My children stood quietly behind me as if they were waiting for me to explain everything. But I had no idea. I had never contemplated the thought that human blood would have adverse affects on vampires. However, that is what seemed to have happened here.

"Alice, tell me exactly what you saw," I said quietly as I turned my hand over in the light.

"Exactly as you are, Carlisle. Blue eyes and you don't sparkle in the sunlight. I see Natasha the same way," she explained.

"Have you seen any other changes?"

"Not yet."

"Thank you."

Finally I tore my eyes from my hand, when I heard Natasha call out behind me. I was immediately at her side, her hot hand between mine.

I knew there was nothing to do now, except to wait out the three days.

It gave me some time to think about what had happened. I talked things over with Edward and Jasper. Edward because he had almost as much human medical knowledge as I did and Jasper because he had dealt with a lot of newborn vampires in his time.

I soon discovered that the changes to me were limited to eye color and non-sparkling skin, which as a great relief. On the contrary, I had no idea what kind of differences there would be in Natasha. Since there was a lot more blood in her than I had swallowed of hers.

Edward, Jasper and I soon came to the conclusion that it was the cancerous cells in her blood that had reacted strangely with my venom. We figured that it was because they were abnormal they would have a different effects. That was all we could come up with until Natasha was awake, until we could see what my venom had done to her.

It made me extremely anxious knowing that something could go seriously wrong because of this odd reaction. Alice kept trying to reassure me that she was not seeing any impending doom. This helped my nerves slightly, but I knew I would not be calm again until Natasha was awake.

She was taking the transformation pretty well. It was like she could sense my presence, because it was only when I personally left her side did she start to scream. We had moved her up to the pull-out couch in my study, hoping it would be more comfortable than the couch. This also allowed for me to do some research on this strange change without leaving her.

Those three days felt like the longest three days I had ever experienced. I was sitting behind my desk with a large volume in my hands when she finally woke-up.

"Carlisle?" she whispered in a rough voice.

I lifted my head. She was sitting up in the bed, wearing a little red dress that Alice had put her in for whatever reason. Her skin was pale white now. I looked into her eyes and noticed they were blue like mine.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

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**THERE! SHE IS BIT... FINALLY! lol**

**I would like to thank Sketchybadwriter for allowing me to use her idea about how irregular human blood could have adverse affects on vampires, which I read in her story "Your medicine, your cure: Carlisle's strange static". Check it out! It's amazing! And thank you again.**


	21. Chapter 20

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: WOW! I am completely taken aback from the overwhelming response to the last chapter. It inspired me to write the next chapter as fast as I could! So, here it is! I hope you all like it and it explains some things. As always, thank you so so so much for all your lovely feedback. The overwhelming response to this story has taken me completely by surprise, but I am so happy that everyone loves it as much as I do. **_

**_IMPORTANT: I have figured out that the summary I have of this story on the main page, no longer makes much sense. So if any one has any suggestions please put them in a comment. THANK YOU!_**

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own The Phantom of the Opera or anything associated with it. **_

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**Chapter Twenty**

**Natasha's POV…**

I had always had this vision of hell as being fire and brimstone, not Carlisle's study. I didn't even allow myself to think it was heaven for a split second. There were too many factors to take into consideration to even think that.

First was the insurmountable level of pain I had suffered. I didn't know how much time I had spent tripped in my mind as my body burned.

The last thing I remembered was hugging Carlisle after the show and falling unconscious. Then there was the burning, throbbing, and excruciating agony that followed.

During that time, I often wondered what I had done wrong in my life to deserve this. I had been a smoker (I had given that up though) and surely God didn't send people to hell for smoking. I didn't drink and I hadn't had sex in over three years. I hadn't killed anyone (at least not that I knew of) and I hadn't stole anything. Maybe it was for not listening to the one person (Carlisle) who wanted to do everything good for me.

The next thing I remembered where I was fully conscious of myself, I was laying on something soft. I felt nothing, there was no more pain. It was like I was hollow shell of myself. I had grown so accustomed to pain after I stopped my meds, that feeling nothing was an overwhelming sensation.

My hands were folded under my head. I wiggled my fingers enjoying the feeling of the movement. The sheets were cool and smooth under my fingertips. Then I moved my toes to see if those worked as well. They did.

This was odd, especially since I thought I was dead. There was no other way to think of it. There was pain and then there was nothing. Death was the only reasonable explanation for it.

I slowly moved my hand up to my throat and felt for a pulse. There was nothing. I was definitely dead.

Blinking several times, I opened my eyes. Everything was so clear and focused. Swirls of dust flicked before my eyes and I could see every particle. I could count the strands of fiber in the sheets or the grains in the wood paneling on the walls.

I pushed myself up slowly, when I caught sight of my hands. I was pale white. I brought my hands to my face. It was smooth and hard.

Looking down, I noticed that I was in a red dress that left very little to the imagination. I didn't remember changing or even owning an article of clothing like this. I touched the silky material, marveling in its texture.

I sat back on my legs, folding my hands in my lap. While I felt completely numb inside, there was a burning sensation that was creeping up from the back of my throat. Wrapping my hand around my neck, I tried to will the pain away. But it didn't go anyway. It burned terribly.

It was then I saw Carlisle sitting behind his desk, his nose in a book. I was taken aback by his presence.

"Carlisle?" I whispered, my voice hoarse. The burning probably didn't help with that.

If I was in hell, as I thought I was, what was he doing here? Maybe I was having hallucinations. I didn't make sense for him to be there.

A confused look graced his prefect face for a split second because it broke out into a bright smile. Our eyes locked and I noticed that his eyes were no longer liquid gold, but a bright blue. This helped reinforce my idea that none of this was real.

Carlisle didn't say anything as he came over to my side. He sat down in front of me. With remarkably steady hands, I reached out to touch his face, just to prove to myself that he was real.

My fingertips skimmed lightly over his cheekbones. He was warm, warmer than I had ever felt before. His skin was perfectly smooth and hard. I removed one hand and touched my own face. It felt the same. I trailed a hand down his neck, wrapping my long fingers around the back. He held perfectly still as I sat up more and pressed my forehead against his.

I could feel his eyes still boring down on me. I was so worried that he would disappear, but he felt so real. I closed my eyes when I felt his own hand stroke my cheek.

"Is this real? Or is the Devil playing tricks with me?" I whispered when I found the strength for form coherent sentences.

"It is very real." I could hear the smile in his words.

Then I asked the one question that I most wanted the answer to. "What has happened to me?"

"What do you think has happened, my darling?" he replied gently.

"Up until a few minutes ago, I honestly thought I was dead and in hell."

It sounded like he was choking back a laugh.

"Hell? If you were in hell, what would I be doing here, as I cannot die?"

I opened my eyes and look at him. He was smiling at me.

"You could just be a figment of my imagination."

"I am no figment."

"Then what are you, if not a figment?"

"I am what I always have been, Natasha, as you are now."

I snapped my head up and glared at him. This was not what I had been expected. Granted I didn't expect much, since I couldn't explain it to myself.

"So, am I a…" I could get myself to say it.

"A vampire?" He offered, his eyes sparkling. "Yes, Natasha. You are one of us, now."

"How?" I whispered.

I couldn't decide if I was surprised or excited about all of this. I mean, I did tempt fate in my own way. But becoming a vampire was not something I had thought would happen. Carlisle and I had never talked about it or even what it took to become one. I had made the choice that I would do whatever it took to keep Carlisle.

He explained to me how I had passed out in his arms and how he brought me back to the house. Apparently there was no hope for me except for vampirism. So, Carlisle had bitten me and it appears that explained the fire. While it felt like it had been an eternity, according to Carlisle it was only three days.

I took this all in rather well, listening intently on every word. So far everything made sense to me.

"Why are your eyes blue?" I asked.

"I wish I knew."

"What do you mean?"

Carlisle continued explaining how it seemed that after he had bitten me, he had fallen into some sort of coma for a little over six hours. When he woke up, his eyes were blue.

"Like yours," he said. "It is normal for a newborn vampire to have crimson red eyes, but yours retained their natural color. I am not certain if my eyes reverted to their natural color or turned the color of yours. I don't remember what color they were when I was human."

"Why?"

He shrugged slightly. "I am not 100% certain yet. I have my theories however. I think that my venom reacted oddly with your blood."

"Because of my cancer?" I was slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Yes. As you know, leukemia is when the bone marrow starts to make a lot of abnormal white blood cells. They don't do the work of normal white blood cells, they grow faster than normal cells, and they don't stop growing when they should. And since you stopped taking your mediation, you would have a lot more of these cells. My theory is that because these white blood cells don't react in the same ways than normal ones, they had a stranger reaction with my venom. It is hard to say whether or not these changes are permanent. For you they might be, since it was the blood that was coursing through your veins. For me, it might not be because I only ingested a small amount."

While that did make some sense to me, my head was swimming nonetheless. So, I was an oddity among vampires? Great! This is exactly what I wanted, not really.

"What sort of other changes were there?"

"Well, for me, besides the eyes, is that I don't sparkle anymore."

"Do I sparkle?" I asked, genuinely interested.

Carlisle slipped off the edge of the bed and taking hold of my hand he helped me up as well.

It was strange standing up again. But I felt a new strength that I didn't know I had. He led me over the floor to ceiling window and pulled aside the curtain.

Sunbeams streamed in, bathing me completely in its light. I lifted my hand, which was still in Carlisle's, to look at it.

Unfortunately, I didn't sparkle. Our intertwined fingers looked like brilliant pearls and they glowed.

"No sparkle," Carlisle said, as if he was registering that information for later use. He turned to me then and seeing my disappointed expression, took my face between his hands. "But always beautiful."

He touched his lips to mine then as one of his hands tangled into my hair. I kissed him back with equal fervor. Wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders, I pulled him closer.

A shudder ran through me when I felt the tip of his tongue trail along my bottom lip, begging for entrance. My lips parted slightly under his as he slipped his tongue into my mouth.

He tasted so sweet but I could feel the masculine strength of him under my fingers.

Now, his arms were wrapped tightly around my waist, like he never wanted to let me go.

I never wanted to let him go either. It seemed so long ago that I had been in his arms and now I didn't want to leave them. While I was technically dead, I felt so alive with him. He touched a special part of my heart and now that we were together again. This was something that was hard for be to believe. But the feeling of his hard body pressed to me and the taste of him on my lips was enough for me to believe it.

With our mouths never separating, my hands found the button on the top of his shirt and started to slowly undo it. His skin was warm and smooth underneath my fingers as they skimmed over his chest. I slowly pushed his shirt off of his shoulders.

Pulling back, I could see the fire burning in Carlisle's eyes as I leaned down and pressed my lips to his bare shoulder.

He groaned. "You will be the death of me."

I smiled slightly. "Too bad you are already dead," I whispered against his skin.

I could feel the rumble of his laugh against my cheek as I pressed it to his bare chest. He softly ran his fingers through my hair again.

The burning in the back of my throat was becoming completely unbearable. I tried swallowing a couple of times, but that didn't really do anything. Again, I reached up a hand and wrapped it around my throat.

Carlisle noticed my motion. "What's wrong?"

"My throat burns like it is on fire," I admitted.

"I am so sorry," he proclaimed emphatically as he pulled away from me. "You see what you do to me; you make me forget that you are just a new vampire. You must be terribly thirsty."

He reached down to pick up his shirt, before pulling it on, but he didn't bother to do up the buttons.

"Thirsty?"

Carlisle held his hand out to me again. "I need to take you hunting."

Thirsty? Hunting? It took me a moment to remember that now that I was a vampire, I needed blood. The idea didn't sound too appealing, but if it made the burning go away I would do anything.

Placing my hand in his, Carlisle led me over the window and pushed it open. Without warning, he pulled the two of us out. It was at last three stories down, but we landed effortlessly on our feet.

I gasped loudly, not believe of it. "Wow! That is something I am going to have to get used to."

Looking over to Carlisle's profile, I saw him smiling again. "Just you wait! Come!"

With my hand still in his, we took off into a run into the woods surrounding the house.

I learned so much about being a vampire from Carlisle in the next three hours that we spent together. He taught me how to use my senses to track down "food". Instinct played a large role. Granted, I didn't think I normally had an instinct that drew me like a magnet to the source of blood.

The fire flared in my throat when I caught my first smell of a deer. The warm blood trickling down was almost a euphoric experience. This was something I could get used to rather easily.

Sometime later with a stomach full of blood, Carlisle and I settled back against a pair of rocks. The sun was setting off in the distance, shards of light filtering down through the trees.

We were silent for sometime. I was lost in my own thoughts. How much was my life going to change because I had changed? It was then I remembered about Grandma. She must be completely beside herself with worry.

I suddenly sprung to my feet in an instant. Carlisle was also then on his feet.

"What's the matter?" he asked softly.

"I need to go home. Grandma must be frantic as to my whereabouts."

"I can't let you do that." While his voice was completely calm, there was a sense that it was quite serious.

"Why not?" I demanded, moving back from him slightly.

He sighed heavily. "You are a vampire now, Natasha. The first year of this is the hardest."

"Are you suggesting that I would be so overcome with bloodlust that I would kill my own grandma?" He nodded slightly. "I don't believe it."

"Do you remember that feeling when you were drawn to that deer?"

I swallowed the lump that was growing in my throat as it began to burn against just thinking about it.

"Yes."

"It would be like that but only a hundred times worse. I can't put you in a position that will compromise your control at the moment."

I thought about that for a moment, not sure what to make of it. "Then what are we going to do?" I crossed my arms across my chest.

"Don't worry about it. I took care of it," he said as he stepped slowly to me and placed a hand on my cheek.

"What did you do?"

The corners of his perfect lips twitched upwards. "I sent Edward over with a letter that I wrote, which he 'found'."

This couldn't come to any good. "What did you tell her?"

There was mischievous sparkle in his eyes that was slightly unsettling.

"We eloped."

My mouth dropped open. I sputtered for a moment completely at a loss for words.

**TO BE CONTINUED**…

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**_How did it go? Though, I don't think you can wrong go with a shirtless Carlisle! lol_**


	22. Chapter 21

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful comments! Sorry, I have taken so long to update again, school is slowly taking over my life... lol. So here is the new chapter, I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I enjoyed writing it! **_

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own The Phantom of the Opera or anything associated with it. **_

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**Chapter Twenty-one**

**Natasha's POV continued…**

"We did WHAT?"

There were not enough words in the English language for me to fully describe to him what I was feeling in that moment.

Had he completely lost his mind? Marriage was a big deal and not something that could be taken this lightly. Especially if I considered the question of whether or not I wanted to be married to him. Granted, I said I would do absolutely anything to keep him in my life; marriage was not something that had ever crossed my mind.

I placed a hand on my chest and I knew if my heart was still beating it would have stopped completely.

"We ran away to Seattle to get married," Carlisle explained as if this sort of thing happened everyday.

I slowly sank down on the rock that was behind me, trying to gather my frantic thoughts.

"Why?" I finally choked out.

Carlisle came and knelt before me, taking my hands between his. I gazed down at him, taking in his flawless features.

"You were out for three days, Natasha and cannot rejoin society for a little while. I needed to find someway to explain that. Since you have always been so conscious of your grandmother's feeling, I thought telling her that we were married was a lot safer than telling her that you were dead. This way you can still call her and talk to her."

I nodded simply, that made sense. "Thank you," I whispered.

"I know that this is a lot to take in at the moment, but I need you to understand something."

"What is it?"

"I love you. I have loved you since the moment I kissed you on your grandmother's front step. I only want what is best for you and for us. I still need to protect my family and you becoming one of us has complicated this." I went to protest, but he pressed a finger to my lips. "Just let me finished. We have only been in Forks for a little under a year. We like it here and we don't want to leave just yet. We have our story that we tell people so that people may believe that we are normal like anyone else. I wanted to find a way to have you fit into our story. Marriage seemed like the only option, since it would be weird if I adopted someone my own age."

The twinkle in his eyes was back and he seemed so happy at the idea of us being married. I guess when someone has been around as long as Carlisle has; the idea of finally getting married seems more like a blessing. I on the other hand, did not seem as nearly as exciting as Carlisle.

If I could cry, I am sure I would have been in that moment.

"What is wrong, my love? I hope I have not upset you." Carlisle cupped my cheek in one of his hands and I turned my head slightly to press a kiss to his palm.

I spoke honestly and truly. "I don't know if I am as ready for marriage as you seem to be."

He went to go spoke but then I pressed a finger to his lips like he had done to mine.

"Now, it is my turn to explain. I love you too, Carlisle. More than I thought I could have ever thought to love another person or vampire in this case. But I have only known you for two months and I know that time has very little relevance any more, for me it still holds some significance. Let's not forget that up until this morning, I thought I was going to die, I had accepted that and know thinking that I will not die like EVER, kind of spooks me. I do want to be with you Carlisle, more than anything, but marriage is a big step. I just don't know if I am emotionally ready to take that step."

Carlisle rose up slightly so that our eyes were even with each other. He leaned in pressing his lips to my forehead before claiming mine. His kiss was sweet and soft and reassuring.

Pulling away he rested his forehead against my own, threading my hair through his fingers.

"I understand. I didn't mean to surprise you like this, but I had to do something."

"I know. I am not upset by that. I am actually grateful that you took Grandma into consideration."

"We are still married though," he said with a cheeky grin.

"Carlisle," I started.

"In the eyes of the law and our community we are. We were married yesterday, Edward has the certificate. But our bodies, minds and spirits are not and between the two of us that is the only thing that matters. It can remain that way as long as you wish. I have waited over three hundred years for you, what is a few more."

"Thank you for understanding, Carlisle. I promise I would make you wait too long."

We sat in comfortable silence for a while longer, the two of us just enjoying each other's company.

I was very grateful that Carlisle understood my point of view as well. It made this whole thing a lot easier for me to take in and accept. I still couldn't quite figure out what someone like Carlisle saw in someone like me. However, I pushed that thought into the back of my head; there was no point in thinking about that right now.

Carlisle wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me off of my rock and spinning me around. I giggled burying my face in his neck.

After Carlisle buttoned up his shirt, which he just remembered was open, we ran back to the house hand in hand. Just before we were clear of the woods, Carlisle stopped and turned to face me.

"I should warn you before we go inside."

"Warn me of what?" I asked.

"They all had a hand into helping me with this plan, so you can say they are rather excited for us."

Before I could question him further he pulled me to the house and in through the front door. I barely had a moment to register what was going on before Alice launched herself at me, wrapping me tightly in her arms.

"I am so happy for you! And now I am not the newest member of the family anymore. Can I call you mom now? I have always wanted one."

All of the sudden there was a searing pain running through me like I had been stuck by a red-hot poker. It was like there was fire licking at my toes and I was slowly being consumed by that fire. I tried to contain myself as best I could, but I couldn't stop the slight scream that was issued from my lips.

"Natasha, what's wrong?" Alice asked frantically, her hands still on my shoulders.

"Alice, don't touch her," Carlisle said as he came next to me.

Alice quickly released my shoulders and I sank down to the floor. Gasping for breath and shaking, I felt empty again. There was a relief after Alice let me go.

I reached out for Carlisle and grabbed hold of his hand. I held it tightly, pulling him down to me as I wrapped my arms around his bicep. I pressed my face into his shoulder as he stroked my hair.

For the first time, I noticed a warm and fuzzy feeling whenever I touched Carlisle. It was definitely different from when I just touched Alice.

"What is wrong with me?" I whispered brokenly.

"It seems we have discovered that you have a power, love," Carlisle said soothingly.

"Power?" I looked up at him and noticed that everyone had gathered around us.

Carlisle nodded as he helped me to my feet. We went over to the couch and sat down. Edward sat on the floor while Emmett and Rosalie sat on one side of the U-shaped couch with Jasper and Alice on the other side.

"Will you please explain this to me?" I asked softly.

"You know that Edward can read minds, Alice can see the future and Jasper can feel emotion. Well it seems that there is something special about you as well. Something happened when Alice touched you but even now you cling to my arm. Could you please explain what happened?"

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, even if I didn't need it, before opening them again.

"I feel tranquil when I touch you like the waves on the sand. When I touched Alice, I felt her pain, something that has been bottled up for a long time. But then when she spoke, I could feel that she was speaking the truth."

I turned to look at Carlisle who seemed like he was deep in thought.

"So, you are a human lie detector?" Emmett joked, trying to lighten the tension in the room.

"It would seem something like that," Carlisle started. "My love, do you mind if we do a little experiment? I would like to see the extent of what you can do."

I nodded my consent. "If it will help figure out what is up with me, sure."

"Emmett." Carlisle waved him over. Emmett came and sat down on the other side of me, but not touching me in anyway. "Emmett's past is not nearly as dark as some of us. So hopefully, he will not cause you too much pain."

Emmett held his hand out towards me. Letting go of Carlisle, I tentatively rested my finger tips on the top of his hand.

I gasped loudly. Emmett seemed to burn as well, but it didn't hurt nearly as much as Alice had done. Now it felt like there were tiny electric currents traveling from him into me, almost like being shocked from static electricity.

"Say something, anything," I urged him through gritted teeth.

"I am wearing women's underwear," Emmett said with a laugh.

There was a sudden jolt. "Lie," I said as I pulled my fingers away from his.

"Oh thank God!" Rosalie exclaimed suddenly. "I was just about to worry about you, dear."

Emmett moved back to sit with Rosalie. Carlisle then turned to me again.

"I would like to try one more, if you don't mind." I nodded slightly. "Jasper?"

I whipped my head around to look at Jasper as he squeezed Alice's hand slightly, before he moved next to me. I was worried about touching Jasper now that I was beginning to understand that I could do. I knew Jasper's story, I knew how much he had gone through before he and Alice found the Cullens.

I looked at him surprised when he offered his hand. "I have nothing to hide from you," he said simply.

This time there was no stopping the scream that tore from my throat when my fingers touched his hand. It was like I was reliving all the horrors that he had went through.

In an instant I pulled my fingers away. "I am so sorry, Jaz," I whispered to him.

"No worries," he said with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "I have come to terms with my own demons, though I know they are still there."

I moved my hand back to Carlisle's feeling the relief wash through me once more.

We sat there talking for a long time. What this whole thing meant for me and for the family. It seemed like this "power" was like a big deal thing. Great, this is just want I wanted to be, an oddity among vampires. But there was nothing I could do change it. While I was not particularly happy about all of this, I see some goodness in it. Now Carlisle could never lie to me without me knowing about it. I kind of liked that.

I could almost see all the wheels in Carlisle's head spinning as we talked. He was clearly fascinated and intrigued by the whole thing. It was one of the qualities I loved most about him, to dive into everything he did with such passion and interest.

After we were done talking to the family, Carlisle took me back upstairs to his study. The couch had been put back into normal order and I went to sit on it while Carlisle rummaged through his desk.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he came with what looked like a shoe box to sit next to me.

"I am sure I will be," I replied. "It is just a lot for one day."

"I understand that, but I want to finish a few things, so we don't have to worry about them. Also, so they don't drag on. I think it would be best for you if things went back to some level of normality."

"I agree. So, what's in the box?" I asked with a grin.

With a smile, Carlisle lifted the lid and pulling out a piece of paper, he handed it to me. Slowly I unfolded it and gasped at what I saw.

_Certificate of Marriage__  
__State of Washington County of King__This certifies that__Natasha Alexandria Daniels and Carlisle Cullen__Were untied in marriage on this day  
__The 20__th__ of September in the year 2003.  
__This ceremony was witnessed by  
__Alice Cullen & Jasper Hale _

I practically laughed out loud at the last line.

"Since when do people bring their children when they elope?" I asked.

Carlisle just shrugged as he continued to shuffle through the box. "We needed witnesses."

I handed the paper back to him, still not believing that I had seen it at all.

"Here is your new driver's license and passport."

I held up my license and my name was the first thing that grabbed my attention. _Natasha A. Cullen_.

"I hope," Carlisle continued, "that I was not being to presumptuous in thinking that you would take my name."

"Its fine," I said as the placed the two things aside.

I would be lying if I said that this wasn't overwhelming, but Carlisle was right. The sooner we got through all the formalities, the sooner existence could be "normal".

Looking at Carlisle again, I noticed that he had placed the box on the ground and now was holding two smaller boxes in his hand. He slipped off the couch so that he could get down on one knee.

"Before, I give you these; I want you to know that you can think whatever you want of them. If you want to think of them are just props so this farce of ours is believable that is fine with me. If you want to think of them as a promise for the future or if you want to think of them as something more formal, I will gladly take whatever it is that you are willing to give me. I don't want to pressure you into anything, Natasha, but know that you have my love. Also, if things were to eventually get more serious, I would get you new rings." He said that last part with a laugh. "Would like to see them?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Carlisle had moved his head so that I couldn't see what he was doing. I was wondering as to that until I felt something slide onto the fourth finger of my left hand.

My eyes were instantly fixed on my hand once Carlisle had moved. It seemed like Carlisle had taken the pains to get an engagement ring as well as a wedding band. The engagement ring was a single round diamond on a platinum band. The diamond itself had to be the biggest thing I have ever seen. It was easily two carets. The actually wedding ring was a band of smaller diamonds which was breathtaking.

"Oh my God, Carlisle!" I finally called out when I found my voice.

"I take it you like them."

"Like them? They are beautiful and very unexpected."

**Carlisle's POV…**

"Well I am happy, I could surprise you." I chuckled at the shocked look on her face.

Before I realized what had happened I was on my back with Natasha on top of me. The floor boards groaned underneath us.

"Oops, I seemed to have underestimated my strength," she said with a large smile.

"You can't hurt me and the floor boards can always be replaced." I reached up a hand to gently touch her cheek.

"What is this?" she asked, holding up the last box that I had dropped when she attacked me.

Natasha sat up so that she was sitting astride my stomach. The hem of her short dress was pushed up so it was barely covering the top of her thighs. Her lush hair was falling in waves down to her waist and there was a sparkle in her deep blue eyes.

I leaned up on my elbow reaching out with my left hand to caress her skin right above her knees. The slight gasp that passed from her lips did not go undetected by my sensitive ears.

I looked up at her as she snapped the box open and pulled out a simple thick platinum band.

"That one would be mine," I said as she held it up, turning her head to one side.

She mouth an "oh" before taking hold of my wrist. She raised my hand and slowly slipped the ring onto my finger.

"Carlisle?" she whispered so quietly that even I almost couldn't hear it.

"Yes, my love?"

"Thank you so much, for everything. You have always been so good to me." She held up her hand so I could see her rings. "I will wear these with love in my heart and as a promise to you. My mind is clear, and my commitment is strong and without reservation. I promise I will never leave you nor forsake you; I will spend all my days at your side. We will share the rest of time with an eternal, immeasurable love. I promise you, Carlisle, that I will tell you when I am ready for a marriage that is not in name only."

She leaned down and pressed her lips to mine, sealing her promise.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

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_**Let me know what you think, please! I hope it went well! :)**_


	23. Chapter 22

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everyone! I am back! I got my project done, and I finally had sometime to write a new chapter. I hope it was worth the wait! Thank you again for everyone who reads this story! **_

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own The Phantom of the Opera or anything associated with it. **_

/\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**Carlisle's POV continued…**

For a newly turned vampire, Natasha was exhibiting levels of control that even Jasper was still struggling with. I found this completely fascinating, since bloodlust was something that drove all newborns.

In Natasha's case, I seemed to be wrong. Maybe it was because she knew from the beginning that humans were friends, not food. I admired her for her strength on this point. She also seemed more hesitate to go to people anyway, since she didn't know how she would react if she touched them.

While she sometimes viewed her gift as a curse, as most do, it was really a gift. She confided in me one day that she thought part of the reason she could stay away from humans was because she was afraid of what would happen if she touched them. It was an interesting theory, and while I wanted to test it, I knew I couldn't put her through that.

About a month after Natasha was turned, my eyes returned to their normal golden color and the sparkle to my skin. Natasha has started to sparkle as well, but not nearly as much and only time would tell if her eyes would change as well.

After about two months of being confined, Natasha was started to get cabin fever. She assured me that as much as she loved my company and that of everyone else, she missed being around people. She missed her grandmother and Noah. I sympathized as best I could, given the circumstances. As much control as she might have, dare I bring her close to the people she loved and hoped that nothing would happen?

It was late one night; the children had gone hunting for the weekend, leaving Natasha and me alone in the house. She was pacing back and forth as I sat on the sofa watching her.

She moved over to Edward's piano and sat down, hitting a few notes. I smiled watching her play. Edward had been kind enough to teach her how to play and to let her use his piano. He was very protective of it, and it pleased me greatly to see him letting her in.

Even with only two months of lessons, she had gotten pretty good. Considering that a vampire has all twenty-four hours of the day to do something with, she learned rather quickly.

I recognized the song almost instantly: All I Ask of You. It was the first song she made Edward teach her after they had, as she put it, gone through all the boring songs.

A smile graced my lips as I heard it. It was the one song we hadn't been able to sing together. If it weren't for that crazy musical, then I don't think I would have to be as close to Natasha as I have become. I had Noah to thank for doing this crazy thing in the first place, and Alice for making me go. I didn't realize it at the time, but I am sure Alice knew what as going to happen the minute she said I was going.

Either way, it seemed like the Phantom got the girl in the end, no matter how the musical ended.

Standing from my place, I moved over to stand next to the piano. She looked up at me and as if she knew what I intended, she started the song over.

_CARLISLE  
Then say you'll share with me  
one love, one lifetime  
let me lead you from your solitude  
Say you need me with you here, beside you...  
anywhere you go, let me go too  
That's all I ask of you..._

NATASHA  
Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime...  
say the word and I will follow you...  
Share each day with me,  
each night, each morning...  
Say you love me...

CARLISLE  
You know I do...

BOTH  
Love me - that's all I ask of you  
Anywhere you go let me go too  
Love me - that's all I ask of you...

Natasha's nimble fingers stroke the last notes as our voices faded. Taking her hands from the keys, she placed them in her lap and lowered her head.

I sat down next to her on the piano bench and pulled her into my lap. I wrapped my arms around her trembling shoulders, my hand stroking her hair. She rested her head against my shoulder.

"I can't even cry!" she exclaimed pulling out of my arms. In an instant she was on the other side of the room.

**Natasha's POV…**

I didn't even know myself anymore. In the span of two months I seemed to have lost a part of myself and I didn't know where it went.

Carlisle had warned me that human memories fade with time, but I didn't think it would happen this quickly. My most distant memories were going first; I could almost not remember what my father looked like or my mother. Even Grandma's face was growing blurry around the edges.

I couldn't even cry for their loss. Normally a good cry could make anything go away, but even that wasn't an option. I didn't know what to do with myself.

"Natasha." Carlisle's soft voice broke through my self wallowing. I lifted my head to see him still sitting on the piano bench.

"If something is wrong, please talk to me, we can work through this together."

"Can you give me my memories back?"

"You know I cannot do that."

I wrapped my arms around myself, sliding to the ground. Carlisle was at my side and kneeling next to me in the next moment.

"I miss them so much, Carlisle."

"I know you do, darling. I wish I could make this easier for you."

"Then let me go see them," I pleaded for at least the hundredth time.

Carlisle sighed heavily. "Natasha, I know how much you want to."

"I don't want to be a monster! Do you still think I am a danger to those around me? That you keep me here locked up in this cage. I am not going to kill any one. I just want to be me again."

"Things can never go back to the way they were."

"I know! Do I ever know! I ate a rabbit today; do you have any idea how repulsive that makes me feel? Why didn't you just let me die? Maybe it would have been better if I had."

He grabbed me by the shoulders, forcing me to look into his blazing eyes.

His voice was still calm and even. "Don't talk like that. Do you think it would have been easier for the rest of us to have you die? If you died, Natasha, I was going to be close behind you."

"But you can't die."

"I can be destroyed; I would have had Emmett tear me apart if that is what it was going to take. So, don't say that you were better off dead."

"I'm sorry, Carlisle. I didn't mean it like that. I just…" I trailed off. I didn't know what I meant to say.

It was just so difficult. I guess I should have just counted myself lucky to have someone like Carlisle to help me through this transition. I could not imagine what it would have been like to do this alone like he had.

He rubbed a soothing hand across my back.

"I know this is hard, but you will get through this. And I have been thinking…"

"Yes?" I prompted him.

I noticed he had that look in his eye that something was up.

"I was thinking, given your improvement, that I would take you to see your grandmother."

"Really?" Happiness surged through me as I bounced up on my knees.

"Yes," he replied softly, touching my cheek. "She is expecting us tomorrow at four."

I throw my arms around him, covering his face with kisses.

"Why are you so good to me? I have been so annoying and moody lately."

He laughed, catching my lips with his. Leaning forward, I soon found myself on my back, looking up at him.

"Please, I have put up with three other newborn vampires. You are not nearly as annoying as Edward was."

I run my fingers through his hair, pulling him down to kiss me again. He rests his forearms on the floor next to my head, so all his weight wasn't on me. Not that I would have minded it.

We stayed there on the floor for sometime, wrapped in each other's arms, since we knew that no one was going to walk in on us. I could have stayed there like that forever.

The nearer it grew to seeing Grandma, I was becoming anxious. So many questions swirled around in my head. Would she notice a change in me? Would she be mad that I haven't seen her in so long? Would she be upset that I got married without her? Did she really like Carlisle as much as she seemed? And most importantly, would I have the urge to kill her and would I be able to touch her without pain?

Since I had moved in, Carlisle with the help of his sons had remodeled his study so that it was easier for two people to live out of it. I stood in front of the mirror that was affixed to the back of the closet door. I buttoned up the ruffled red blouse that Alice had lent to me.

I had been practically living out of Alice's closet for the past two months. Not that she minded it at all either, she greatly enjoyed dressing me up, especially when she learned that we like a lot of the same things and I was almost her size.

I was just pulling on my shoes, when Carlisle came up behind me. I met his gaze in the mirror. He looked as great as ever; dressed in black dress pants, a collared shirt with a navy sweater over it and his blonde hair smoothed back.

He wrapped his arms around my waist, bringing his lips to my ear.

"Are you sure you are ready to do this?" he whispered.

I nodded emphatically, not trusting my voice at the moment.

Taking my hand, we went down to his car. We passed Alice in the hall who gave me thumbs up and a bright smile. That did ease my nerves a little bit; it was hard to know what to fell until the time passed.

We sat in silence on the way there; I gazed out the window lost in my own thoughts. Carlisle reached over, taking hold of my hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

We pulled up to the house a couple of minutes later. I didn't really register we were there, until Carlisle came over to my side of the car and opened the door for me. He offered me his arm and we went to the door.

I could hear my grandma's heart beat even from outside of the house and I could smell her. There was an intense burning in the back of my throat, but I fought it down as best I could. Basically I stopped breathing. It helped for now, but I knew that once I was inside I was going to have to breathe.

I pressed the doorbell and waited. The door opened a few moments later, Grandma was smiling from ear to ear. Before I could say anything she through her arms around me, kissing me on both cheeks. I bit my lower lip hard. Touching Grandma was like touching Emmett, it was like really bad static electricity. So, it wasn't intolerable.

"Natasha! It has been so long, I was so worried about you! You are so cold, come inside before you catch your death." If I wasn't so nervous I probably would have laughed. She pulled away and gestured for Carlisle and me to come inside.

"I hope I haven't worried you too much," I said as we moved to the living room. Carlisle and I sat on the sofa while Grandma took the oversized wing backed chair.

"I was quite surprised when that young man… what was his name?"

"Edward."

"Ah, yes, Edward. I was very surprised when he showed up with the news."

"I'm sorry," Carlisle started as he intertwined his fingers with mine, "if it upset you at all."

"Oh no, not at all, my boy. I was just completely taken by surprise. It just made me wonder as to your intentions."

"Mrs. Daniels, I love your granddaughter very much. I would have come to see you first to ask permission to marry her, but we acted on impulse."

Grandma just nodded her head and looked directly at me.

"Are you happy?" she asked me.

"I have never been so happy in my entire life." It was true.

She then turned back to Carlisle.

"I have heard a lot of things about you, Dr. Cullen. Everyone I have talked to cannot say enough good things about you. So, I should feel grateful that my granddaughter has picked a man like you, but I still have my reservations."

"I completely understand. You don't know me very well. I am more than willing to answer any question you might have."

"What are you, Dr. Cullen?"

A lump was forming in my throat. Sometimes Grandma knew too much for her own good.

"I'm a doctor."

She looked down her nose at him.

"That is not what I meant."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	24. Chapter 23

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'M NOT DEAD! I swear! I am so so so sorry for taking as long as it has to update again. Things have been crazy in my life recently with senior year and working on an original novel. However, I am back now. I will try to update once a week until this story is done. There are probably about 3 or 4 chapters left. I highly anticipate finishing it and not just leaving it unfinished. That is something that drives me crazy and I don't want to put my faithful readers in that position either. **_

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books by the amazing Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own The Phantom of the Opera or anything associated with it. **_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**Carlisle's POV…**

Natasha grabbed my hand, her fingers tightening around mine to the point where I thought that she might actually break my hand.

She knew how lucky she was to have known about me without any of the consequences. The Volturi had hardly crossed my mind when Natasha found out that I was a vampire. But I had made it a priority once she was turned to get her up to speed.

So, she knew as well as I how dangerous this could be if her grandmother was implying what we thought she was.

"I have nothing to hide from you," I said slowly. I knew it was a lie, but if it would put Natasha's grandma at ease about me, that I would do it.

Mrs. Daniels didn't say anything for a moment as my own fingers began to tighten around Natasha's.

"I know what you do, Dr. Cullen, but I don't know you," she started carefully. "I have always wondered about your reasons for taking in five children who are not even relations at such a young age as you are, with an occupation that is very demanding on its own. No one I have talked to can seem to explain that to me, though they say you are a great father to these children."

I heard Natasha give up an almost silent sigh and I too relaxed. It would seem like she didn't know we were vampires. Thank God for the small things. I didn't know how I would have dealt with that in the least.

Once, Mrs. Daniels real concerns were laid out on the table, conversation became a lot smoother and easier between us. I told her the same fabricated story about my children that I had told everyone else. The same one I told Natasha so that she was in on all the secrets. Because that is what our lives really were, a web of lies and secrets. While this was unfortunate to have to lie to a very nice and kind woman, it just had to be done.

We sat there talking for some time, and I began to notice Natasha fidgeting next to me, her fingers gripping mine with an increasing intensity. I peaked out of the corner of my eyes at her, and noticed that she was looking back. Rising a hand, she tapped her fingers against her throat.

As if on cue, the house phone rang. Excusing herself, Mrs. Daniels rose and moved into the kitchen to answer it. Once she was out of the room, Natasha fell to the window and pulled it open. Sticking it her head out, she breathed in the moist cool autumn air. Her fingers gripped the windowsill, the wood straining in her grasp.

Coming up behind her, I ran a gentle hand across her back before pulling her into my arms. She buried her face into the crook of my neck.

"What's the matter, love?" I asked quietly.

"This is so much harder than I thought it was going to be. I don't want to hurt her, Carlisle. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did."

Mrs. Daniels reappeared in the doorway, the phone in her hand.

"Dr. Cullen, it's for you."

I glanced down at Natasha, to make sure she would be alright if I let her go. She nodded her head slightly before I let her go. Taking the phone, I held the receiver up to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Crisis averted for now," came Alice's cheerful voice from the other side of the line. "Now, listen to me carefully, Carlisle. It's important. Now, pretend something is wrong."

I shot a glance at Natasha who was wringing her hands together nervously.

"What's wrong, Alice?" I tried to sound concerned.

"Now, blame something on Emmett." I could hear Emmett calling out in the background, asking what he did wrong this time.

"Emmett did what?" I pinched the bridge of my nose in an attempt to make this rouse believable.

"Now, make your excuses and get Natasha out of there. We will be waiting for you."

"We will be home as soon as possible," I said, but the line was already dead.

I handed the phone back to Mrs. Daniels who went to hang it back up. Natasha came over to my side, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"If everything alright?" she asked.

I sighed, slipping an arm around her waist, holding her close to my side.

"Alice." Natasha's expression dropped practically to the floor, lowering her eyes. "Come; let us make our excuses to your grandmother."

"I'm sorry, Carlisle."

Placing a finger under her chin, I forced her face up to look at me. I pressed my lips to hers for a brief moment. "We can talk in the car."

Using the made-up excuse Alice supplied, we took leave of her grandmother, making a promise to visit against as soon as we could. As Natasha walked out to the car, Mrs. Daniels pulled me aside.

"Take care of my granddaughter, Dr. Cullen. I see she loves you very much. I wish her father were here to see her now. He would have approved of you and been very pleased to see his daughter find a man such as you."

I gallantly kissed the top of her hand. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."

**Natasha's POV…**

I pressed my forehead to the glass of the window once I was in the car. What was wrong with me? _You're a vampire now, dumbass!_ The little voice in the back of my head yelled at me. Even if that was true, it didn't excuse the fact that I had the strongest desire to kill my own grandmother.

Being in her presence as long as I was was really starting to take its toll. This is why I was extremely grateful when the phone rang at practically the perfect moment. Thank goodness for Alice! I couldn't get myself to even imagine what she saw that would have forced her to call.

Shaking my head, I peered out the window to find Carlisle still talking to Grandma. He kissed the top of her hand in farewell before jogging over to the car. Seamlessly he slid into his seat, started the car and we were off on the road.

He had the silly sort of smile on his face. I reached over with a free hand and laid it on his. I allowed the familiar feelings of warmth surround me from his touch. Somehow it just made me feel better.

"What did Grandma tell you that has you in such a good mood?" I asked slowly.

He kissed my hand as our finger intertwined. "She told me that your father would have approved of me."

My finger tightened around his. "Did she really say that?"

"Yes. I am just sorry that I never had the opportunity to meet him."

"He would have loved you. You know what's funny? As a little girl, I always told him, I wanted to marry a doctor just like him. It seems like I have."

Carlisle kept his eyes focused on the road, but there was no mistaking the brilliant smile which stretched across his face.

"So you finally think we are married?"

I pulled my hand away from his and swatted him playfully on the arm. "Carlisle," I groaned.

He held up his hands innocently before placing them on the wheel again. "What? I didn't say anything."

"You were implying again."

"Can you blame me for wanting to call you my wife?"

I groaned again and buried my face in my hands. We have had this conversation at least a hundred times since we were "married". I told Carlisle I wasn't ready for that sort of commitment yet. Yes, I loved him. Yes, I wanted to be with him. But there was something in the idea of getting married that terrified the hell out of me.

I know my parents were happy in their marriage as were my grandparents. Theirs was a type of happiness that I wanted and I knew I could have that with Carlisle. But I also knew that by saying yes to Carlisle that this was forever. Like forever forever, not until one of us died since that was never going to happen. I think that is what scared me the most.

Carlisle was the old-fashioned type. So when he said forever, he meant it.

I glanced down at the rings gracing my left-hand ring finger, watching as the diamonds twinkled in the light that streamed in through the window. The more I thought about it, the more comfortable I became with it. If Grandma approved of Carlisle and thought my father would have too, then the only thing really holding me back was myself.

We pulled into the long winding driveway that led up to the house.

"Hey Carlisle, can you let me out here?"

He let the car come to a slow rolling stop. "Is something wrong?"

I shook my head. "I just need to clear my head and after spending so much time with Grandma, I need to feed."

"So you want me to come with you? It's almost dark; I wouldn't want you to get lost. You don't know these forests…"

I hushed him by pressing a finger to his lips. "I will be fine. I just need to be alone for a little while."

"I don't mean to pressure you. It's just..." he started, but stopped short.

"I know and I am not upset at you. I just need some time to think," I said as I pushed the car door open.

Stepping out, I slammed it shut. As I turned to run off, the window rolled down and Carlisle stuck his head out. I took his face between my hands, running my fingers across his smooth features. Leaning in I kissed him long and hard.

"I love you," I whispered against his mouth.

"I love you too."

"Tell Alice to meet me in an hour down by the river, six miles away. Not that she won't already now, but make sure she knows," I said before taking off into the woods.

Once I had satisfied my thirst, I ran over to the place where I knew Alice was going to be waiting for me. I kept changing my mind as to what exactly I wanted to do and what I wanted to talk to her about, so that she would have no idea as to why I wanted to talk to her.

As expected she was already there with her arms crossed and her little foot tapping impatiently.

"It's not fair," she started as I approached, "that you won't let me know what you are up to."

I laughed. "Now, what fun would that be? Believe me, you will be happy enough about it in the end, I am sure."

"Why is that?"

"Because how often is it that you get to plan a wedding?"

Alice stared at me blankly for a long moment, before a huge smile graced her face. She threw her arms around me as she bounced up and down. I had gotten used to touching Alice over time, so this wasn't as big of a shock as the first time.

"Really? You mean it? Carlisle is going to be so happy!"

I placed my hands on her shoulders, trying to subdue a little bit of her giddiness, but it was very contagious. I knew I have made the right choice.

"We aren't going to tell Carlisle. I want this to be a surprise."

Alice clapped her hands together. "I love surprises!"

"I know you do. This is why I wanted to enlist your help. Now, there are two steps to my plan…"

Alice and I sat there by the river for several long hours discussing all my wishes and desires, before she would ultimately take over. This way Carlisle would never know what I was up to.

TO BE CONTINUED……


	25. Chapter 24

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everyone! So, I somehow got this chapter done. Woohoo! I promised I would finish this fic at some point and I plan on keeping that promise. With that in mind, there is only one more chapter, and maybe an epilogue. Enoy! **_

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that is recognizable as being from the Twilight books. I also do not own The Phantom of the Opera or anything associated with it. **_

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**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**Natasha's POV continued…**

If I wasn't aware of this already, I soon learned that leaving Alice in charge of anything was both brilliant and stupid all at the same time. She was incredibly thorough and left very little for me to do in actuality, which was great because then Carlisle was completely in the dark.

I wanted to keep it that way. He had already done so much for me and I wanted to be able to surprise him for once. Not that there hadn't been occasions in the last couple of weeks that almost blew my cover.

Alice had made up a binder that was at least four inches thick of information for me to consider – flowers, dresses, cakes (which we couldn't even eat), and everything in between. Thankfully Alice had labeled the binder as "Home Improvements" and everything in it had incognito names. For example, the fabric swatches for bridesmaids' dresses were listed as "curtains". This meant that if anyone (i.e. Carlisle) stumbled across the book, he would have no idea of its true meaning.

It was late one evening about two weeks before the actual day. I sat in the kitchen, perched up on a stool with my binder laid open on the counter. I knew I was alone as I could be, considering the amount of people who lived in the house. Rosalie, Emmett and Edward had gone for a hunt, while Alice and Jasper had sequestered themselves in their room.

I had finally narrowed down the color of the bridesmaids dresses to four different choices: a shimmering champagne, a frosty blue, a candy-apple red, and a deep plum. I pulled the color swatches out and laid them out before me. Tapping my finger against my chin, I contemplated the possibilities.

I jumped slightly when a strong pair of arms wound around my waist and a hard chest pressed against my back.

"What has you so lost in thought, my love, that I can sneak up on you?" Carlisle whispered into my ear.

I turned in his arms, winding my own around his neck. My fingers buried in the thick blonde hair at the nape of his neck and pulled his head down to brush my lips against his.

"Curtains," I whispered, pulling away slightly.

Carlisle chuckled, kissing me again. "I didn't realize you were so interested in interior design."

I shrugged slightly. "Not really, but Alice thought I should have some input since I am living here now."

Carlisle raised an elegantly arched brow. "Alice actually wants input?"

I bit my tongue slightly, realizing how close I was to having my cover blown. I thought it best if I tried to change the subject and quickly.

"A way to make me feel useful, I guess. Either way, what are you doing home so early? I wasn't expecting you for several more hours."

Carlisle sighed heavily before speaking. "It was quiet and since I had been there since early this morning, they thought it best that I go home and get some rest. It is really frustrating some times."

"Well, they must have known that I was missing you."

Securing his arms more firmly around my waist, Carlisle effortlessly lifted me off my stool and spun me around a moment, before settling me down on my feet. I giggled as I buried my face in his neck, breathing in his scent. I wished I never had to let him go. It was in that moment, that I realized I had made the right choice. I yearned to tell him what I had planned, but I knew it would be better if I didn't. I had sought out Alice to make sure that I was making the right decision and she had reaffirmed that I had.

"And they must have known the same for me," he whispered, kissing the top of my head.

Tilting my face up, I asked, "You missed me?"

"Of course. I wish you could come back to the hospital with me."

"Me too. Me too."

Clearing my throat, I pulled away from him slightly and with an arm around each other's waist, we made our way into the living room.

"Can you tell me of your day, please? So, it doesn't feel like I am still so far removed from society." I asked softly.

Sitting down on the couch, Carlisle settled me down on his lap, with my arms wrapped around his chest and my head on his shoulder. He trailed his fingertips slowly up and down the length of my arm. I felt warm and safe in the confines of his arms. That somehow with him all the worries about the never-ending future that lay before us didn't seem so daunting.

"Are you still lonely?" Carlisle asked after a few long moments of silence. I simply nodded my head in reply. "I wish there was something I could do to help you. Anything to prevent you from feeling what I…" He stopped when I gently pressed the tips of my fingers to his lips.

"I would never wish what you experienced when you came into this life on anyone, Carlisle. You have been so good to me and understanding throughout this whole thing. I could not ask for more than you have already given me. You gave me my life back, you gave me another chance, you gave us another chance." I pressed my lips to the underside of his chin. "Now, let us put this behind us for now. Tell me of your day."

We spent the next several hours, curled up in each other's arms while he told me everything, not sparing a single gory detail.

**Carlisle****'s POV…**

I knew she was unhappy being caged in. I knew also that she was finally beginning to understand why I had to enforce this rule. After the visit with her grandmother, she realized what a danger she was to those around her. It was something that I hated to have to reinforce, but the risk was too great to ignore.

It pained me to have to see her like this, depending on the stories I could tell of my time away from the house and those of the others. It was the only thing that made her feel real again and normal. She would not admit it to me, because she knew I would worry too much. Even without her telling, I did worry. I wanted something better for her than what I was currently able to give. Maybe that is why she was so excited when I said I would take some time off from the hospital in the coming weeks. Then we could go somewhere new together and explore the wonders that this life could bestow on us.

A week passed us by and I began to notice that something was not entirely regular in our household. There were hushed whispers everywhere. It was like they all knew something I did not. Whenever Alice would see me, she would burst out into the brightest smile I had seen her wear in many years. In fact, it was a little unsettling, even if she was normally very happy. Her unending happiness was also wearing on Jasper, who no matter what he did was unable to. Edward, on the other hand, would just smirk and shake his head whenever he would see me.

_What could I be possibly thinking that you think is so funny?_ I finally asked Edward.

"Or what you are not thinking," Edward replied casually as he tinkered on the keys of his piano.

I focused him with a pointed look from behind the book I was reading. "Is there something I should know?"

Edward simply shrugged, not bothering to answer my question. This left me wondering what in the world was going on.

My curiosity was only amplified four days later. It was a Friday, of that I am sure. Natasha had somehow convinced me to take her to have dinner at Noah's house. She had not seen her dear friend since she was changed and was practically crawling out of her skin to do so. I tried to stay resolute and firm on my decision, but when she gave me that sad face and her lower lip stuck out, I was a goner. She had reassured me that it would just be us, Noah, and his new boyfriend, so it was only two humans she had to overcome. While this did not totally sit well with me, I gave in.

I waited for her in the living room, while she got ready. I was dressed comfortably in black pants, a light blue button-down, and navy tie. Twisting the thick platinum band on my finger, I paced back and forth. Dropping down on to the couch, I racked a hand through my hair. I was worried about tonight. Something was not sitting well with me.

I was drawn out of my thoughts by the sound of high heels clicking down the stairs. Rising from my spot, I walked over to stand at the stairs. The venom pooled in my mouth when I saw her. Clad in a deep purple dress which fell to the tops of her knees, a daring neckline, and jeweled straps, she was a vision. Her rich chocolate brown hair fell in soft waves about her shoulders. Taking in her appearance, my eyes trailed down following the long lean lines of her legs.

Gallantly, I held my hand out to her as she drew closer. Her smile reached her eyes, and for the first time I noticed the gold speckled in the blue. Maybe her eyes would change after all. When she reached the final step, I pulled her into my arms, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips.

"Methinks I should make you go get a sweater to cover up, else I be distracted all evening," I whispered as I nuzzled my lips behind her ear.

Natasha giggled and playfully hit my arm. "I take it you like what you see, Dr. Cullen."

"Always, Mrs. Cullen," I replied before I had a chance to think about it. I bit my tongue and was quick to correct myself. "Natasha, I…"

She simply smiled, pressing a finger to my lips before replacing it with her own. "Hush, Carlisle. I am starting to warm up to the idea."

I held her close for a moment, not knowing what to say. It was almost enough to set my poor dead heart aflutter.

After a moment, we parted and headed out to my car. We drove in comfortable silence and I would occasionally glance over at Natasha in the passenger seat. She had her hands folded neatly in her lap, but I could tell she was doing everything she could to prevent herself from wringing them together. I took this as a sign of her nervousness at being around multiple people.

Reaching over, I took one of her hands in mine and give it a comforting squeeze. She gave me a wobbly smile, even though she kept her eye focused ahead.

We arrived at Noah's house promptly on time and were enthusiastically greeted. Noah pulled Natasha into a tight hug and I noticed both of them shudder; Noah from the cold of Natasha's skin and Natasha mostly likely from the combination of her ability and blood. After quickly shaking my hand, he ushered us inside and introduced us to his new boyfriend, Evan.

The night was comfortable, fun and it was nice to be out with people sometimes. Instead of serving dinner, Noah thought it better to have a bunch of finger food. This made it a lot easier for Natasha and me to hide the food in our napkins. We sat around the coffee table in Noah's living room, sharing stories.

"Do you remember that time in high school," Noah started as he pointed at Natasha, who had her face in my shoulder. "when we auditioned for the spring musical our junior year."

Natasha groaned. "You slipped during the dance portion and took me down with you! I was black and blue for a week. Let us not forget when you thought it was a good idea to wear sandals in January in Forks!"

"As stupid as that was, I still have all my toes," Noah quipped.

When Natasha's fingernails started biting into my forearm, I knew it was time to take our leave. With promises to visit again soon, we headed out to my car.

Once we were outside, Natasha relaxed significantly, though she seemed more fidgety now than she did when we first arrive. After we pulled into the driveway, Natasha quickly came over to my side of the car. Grabbing my hand, she tugged me out of the garage and into the woods.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked as I willingly followed her.

Her eyes sparkled. "You will see."

Handing intertwined, we ran until we reached the coast. Natasha kicked off her shoes and fell down on the grass, pulling me with her. We lay on our back gazing up at the sky for a long time. I rolled over on my side, propping myself up on my elbow and she did the same. Reaching up a hand, I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, my fingertips trailing along her jaw.

"Carlisle," she whispered as she caught my wrist in her hand and brushed her lips lightly over the tips of my fingers. She moved closer until her body was almost touching mine.

Before I gave her a chance to say anything further, I pulled her closer, rolling onto my back, with her above me. She leaned over me for a moment, while I gazed up into her beautiful face, wanting nothing more than to preserve this image in my mind forever. Capturing my face in her little hands, she crushed her lips to mine, her tongue begging entrance, which I swiftly granted.

"I love you," I murmured, when our lips finally parted.

"I love you too."

She rested her head on my chest and her hands gripping handfuls of my shirt. I ran a soothing hand across her back when she stiffened suddenly.

"What is the matter, my love?"

"Nothing," she replied, her voice muffled.

"Something must be wrong, if you are shying away from me now."

"I thought I would have more courage than this. I had run this moment over and over again in my head and I thought I had finally mastered it."

I hummed low in my throat, sounding almost like I was purring. It seemed to calm her somewhat. I just wanted to know what she was talking about; curiosity was going to kill this cat if she dragged this out any longer.

"Why don't you just tell me? Don't think about it anymore," I coaxed gently.

"But I wanted this to be perfect," she pouted, "and it seems like my nerves are going to get the better of me."

"What could you possibly have to say to me that would have you nervous?"

Natasha lifted her head to look up at me. Her eyes sparkled with unshedable tears.

"I love you, more than I thought I could ever love another person. I want to spend my life with you, every moment of forever."

My mouth fell open when she lifted her left hand and removed the rings that rested on her ring finger. Taking my hand in hers, she placed the rings in them. I couldn't move, or even think straight.

She placed a firm hand on my chest, keeping me in place, lest I do something stupid.

"Those were a pretense to make people believe what had never happened. I realize now that is what I want. I want to be yours, now and forever. Will you marry me, Carlisle Cullen?" Her voice trailed off into a whisper that if it were not for my vampire hearing, I would have missed her question.

It felt like my heart was going to burst from my chest. I pulled her up and I feverously peppered her face with feather light kisses.

"Yes," I muttered in-between kisses.

Natasha left out a heavy breath and laughed happily. "It is a good think you said so."

"Why do you say that? Did you think I would not?"

She grinned brightly. "Because the wedding is planned for tomorrow."

TO BE CONTINUED…

_**Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter! I was rather on the fence about it when I wrote it. **_


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